{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-education-northern-ireland-order-2006/article-31",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-education-northern-ireland-order-2006/article-31.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2006/0110800419",
  "legislation_title": "The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-education-northern-ireland-order-2006",
  "path": "article/31",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "31",
  "heading": "Suspension and expulsion of pupils",
  "text": "(1) The Department shall prepare and issue a scheme specifying the procedure to be followed in relation to the suspension and expulsion of registered pupils from grant-aided schools.\n(2) A scheme under this Article–\n(a) shall provide that–\n(i) a registered pupil at a controlled school may be expelled from that school only by the relevant board on the application of the Board of Governors of the school;\n(ii) a registered pupil at any other grant-aided school may be expelled from that school only by the Board of Governors of the school;\n(b) shall provide that a registered pupil at a grant-aided school may be suspended from that school only by a person or body specified in the scheme;\n(c) shall specify the maximum period–\n(i) for which a pupil may be suspended in any one school year;\n(ii) for which a pupil may be suspended on any one occasion;\n(d) may provide for the extension of a period of suspension (subject to any provision made by virtue of sub-paragraph (c));\n(e) may include provision for such other matters as the Department thinks appropriate.\n(3) It is the duty of–\n(a) the relevant board and the Board of Governors (in relation to a controlled school); and\n(b) the Board of Governors (in relation to any other grant-aided school),\nto comply with a scheme under this Article.\n(4) The Department–\n(a) shall review a scheme issued under this Article not later than five years after the issue of the scheme (or, as the case may be, after the last review under this paragraph); and\n(b) may revise the scheme and issue the revised scheme.\n(5) Before making or revising a scheme under this Article the Department shall consult–\n(a) the boards;\n(b) the Board of Governors of a number of grant-aided schools selected by the Department as being a representative sample of all such schools; and\n(c) any other person with whom consultation appears to it to be desirable.\n(6) In this Article and Article 32 “relevant board”, in relation to a controlled school, means the board for the area in which the school is situated.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2006/0110800419/article/31",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T15:20:00.725614+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}