2009 No. 48 (W.16)
EDUCATION, WALES

The Education (Maintained Special Schools) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2009

Made
Laid before the National Assembly for Wales
Coming into force
The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Secretary of State by section 71(7) of the School Standards and Framework Act 19981 and now vested in them2, make the following Regulations:

Title, commencement and application1.

(1)

The title of these Regulations is the Education (Maintained Special Schools) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 and they come into force on 9 February 2009.

(2)

These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.

Amendment of Regulations2.

For regulation 12 of the Education (Maintained Special Schools) (Wales) Regulations 19993, substitute the following —

“Religious Education12.

Arrangements must be made to ensure that, so far as practicable, every pupil attending a maintained special school —

(a)

receives religious education unless withdrawn from receiving such education in accordance with the wishes of the pupil’s parent; and

(b)

attends religious worship unless withdrawn from attendance at such worship —

(i)

in the case of a sixth-form pupil, in accordance with the pupil’s own wishes; and

(ii)

in any other case, in accordance with the wishes of the pupil’s parent.”

Jane Hutt
Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, one of the Welsh Ministers
(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Education (Maintained Special Schools) (Wales) Regulations 1999 by substituting a new regulation 12. The change it makes from the previous regulation is to allow a sixth form pupil to withdraw from religious worship at a special school if the pupil so wishes. A sixth form pupil is defined in section 71(8) of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 as any pupil who has ceased to be of compulsory school age and who is receiving education suitable to the requirements of pupils over compulsory school age. This aligns the law with that for mainstream schools in section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as amended by section 55 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.