Explanatory note

These Regulations, which are made under sections 6 and 7 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (“the 1998 Act”), apply in relation to local education authorities in England.

Section 6 of the 1998 Act requires every local education authority to prepare an education development plan for their area. The Regulations make provision with respect to the first such plan, including the period to which the statement of proposals contained in the plan must relate (regulation 3), the date by which the plan must be submitted to the Secretary of State (regulation 4) and the persons to whom the authority must provide copies of the plan or a summary version of the plan (regulation 5).

Part II of the Regulations sets out matters with which the statement of proposals contained in the plan must deal. These include targets for pupils in the second key stage (regulation 6); targets for pupils aged 15 or 16 (regulation 7); targets for the exclusion of pupils (regulation 8) and for unauthorised absences (regulation 9); a summary of the information used by the authority in setting targets (regulation 10); and the authority’s priorities for raising standards and improving the performance of schools in their area (regulation 11).

Part III of the Regulations sets out the material which the annexes to the statement of proposals must contain. These include the targets set by individual schools, and the authority’s targets in relation to children leaving public care (regulation 13); a description of the key characteristics of the authority and the processes by which they have monitored their own performance and the performance of schools they maintain (regulation 14); a description of the authority’s proposed activities to address the priorities for raising standards and improving the performance of schools (regulation 15); a statement summarising the authority’s policy on the provision of education to children with special educational needs and how such pupils should be educated alongside pupils who do not have special educational needs (regulation 16); the authority’s use of resources in support of the first plan (regulation 17); information in relation to the authority’s proposals for monitoring their performance under the plan (regulation 18); and a description of the consultation undertaken by the authority in preparing the plan (regulation 19).