The Education (School Day and School Year) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2008

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

The Education (School Day and School Year) (Wales) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/3231 (W.311)) (“the 2003 Regulations”) apply to schools maintained by local education authorities and to special schools (whether or not so maintained). They make provision (among other things) for a school day which is ordinarily to be divided into two sessions (with a break in the middle), and for schools (other than nursery schools) to meet for at least 380 sessions during any school year.

Regulation 5 of the 2003 Regulations (as amended by The Education (School Day and School Year) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1262 (W.119))) provides for up to four sessions in each of the 2006/7 and 2007/8 school years to count as sessions on which the school met if they were devoted to the provision of certain forms of training.

These Regulations substitute a new regulation 5 in the 2003 Regulations which, in broad terms, provides for up to four sessions in each of the 2008/9 and 2009/10 school years to count as sessions on which the school met if they were devoted to the provision of training, or preparation and planning, for the following—

• the introduction of the foundation stage,

• the preparation and implementation of plans aimed at facilitating the transition of pupils from the foundation stage and from one key stage to another, and between primary school and secondary school (including, in the latter case, the statutory plans required to be drawn up under section 198 of the Education Act 2002),

• forthcoming changes in the National Curriculum, and

• the Welsh Ministers' plans for extending learning options for 14—19 year olds.