These Regulations, made under section 33(3) of the Education Act 2002, provide for school governing bodies to be exempt from the general requirement to hold an annual parents' meeting (“APM”) in certain circumstances. The Regulations come into force on 1st September 2003. Regulation 2 revokes the Education (Annual Parents' Meetings) (England) Regulations 1999.

The circumstances in which a governing body is exempt from the requirement to hold an APM are as follows:

Regulation 4 – if, in the case of a community special or foundation special school, the school is established in a hospital or the school is a boarding school and the governing body considers it would be impractical to hold an APM;

Regulation 5 – if the school has been inspected by Ofsted and a parents' meeting has been held to discuss the inspector’s report before the governing body draws up its action plan;

Regulation 6 – if the governing body has held a meeting or series of meetings to which all parents have been invited, which has or (as the case may be) have been attended by two or more governors, at least one of whom is not a staff governor, and parents have had the opportunity to discuss the past and future conduct of the school; and

Regulation 7 – if the governing body gives to parents with its Report a notice asking parents to respond within not less than 7 days if they wish the governing body to hold the annual parents' meeting and the parents of fewer than 15 pupils respond.