OpenLegislation

Education (Scotland) Act 1996 in Wales

1996 c. 43 · Enacted 18 July 1996 · Extends to United Kingdom

Not fully up to date. 1 change made by later legislation has not yet been written into this text, which is revised to 26 February 2026.

See the changes not yet applied
ProvisionChangeMade by
Sch. 1 para. 9(2) (3)repealedScottish Qualifications Authority Act 2002 s. 1(7)(b)

An Act to provide for the establishment of a body corporate to be known as the Scottish Qualifications Authority; to provide for the transfer of functions, property, rights, liabilities, obligations and staff to that body and for the conferring of other functions on it; to make provision enabling payment of grant to providers of education for children under school age; to amend certain legislation relating to school education in Scotland; and for connected purposes.

[18th July 1996]

E1Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Annotations to the whole text

Extent

E1

This Act extends to Scotland only but for exceptions see s.37(5)(6)

Contents

  1. Establishment Repealed
  2. 2General functions of SQA. Repealed
  3. 3Accreditation function. Repealed
  4. 4Quality assurance. Repealed
  5. 5Advisory function. Repealed
  6. 6Incidental functions. Repealed
  7. 8Services to others, collaboration, agency etc. Repealed
  8. 9Secretary of State’s directions to SQA. Repealed
  9. Information Repealed
  10. 10Provision of information by SQA. Repealed
  11. 11Annual report. Repealed
  12. Financial provisions Repealed
  13. 12Financial duties of SQA. Repealed
  14. 13Payment of grants etc. to SQA. Repealed
  15. 14Secretary of State’s power to make loans. Repealed
  16. 15Secretary of State’s guarantees of SQA’s borrowing. Repealed
  17. Property Repealed
  18. 17Transfer of property etc. to SQA. Repealed
  19. Staff Repealed
  20. 18Transfer of staff to SQA. Repealed
  21. Dissolution of the Scottish Examination Board and of the Scottish Vocational Education Council: the Winding Down Period Repealed
  22. 19Dissolution of the Scottish Examination Board and of the Scottish Vocational Education Council. Repealed
  23. Transitional Repealed
  24. 20Transitional provisions as regards SQA. Repealed
  25. Interpretation of Part I Repealed
  26. 21Interpretation of Part I. Repealed
  27. Service of documents Repealed
  28. 22Service of documents. Repealed
  29. Part II: Education for Children Under School Age
  30. 26Disclosure of information.
  31. 28School Boards: elections. Repealed
  32. 29School Boards: terms of office. Repealed
  33. 30School Boards: conflict of interest. Repealed
  34. 31School Boards: miscellaneous. Repealed
  35. Part IV: Miscellaneous
  36. 37Short title, commencement and extent.
  37. Schedule 1: The Scottish Qualifications Authority Repealed
  38. 1Paragraph 1 Repealed
  39. 5Paragraph 5 Repealed
  40. 6Paragraph 6 Repealed
  41. 7Paragraph 7 Repealed
  42. 8Paragraph 8 Repealed
  43. Conflict of interest Repealed
  44. 11Paragraph 11 Repealed
  45. 12Paragraph 12 Repealed
  46. 13Paragraph 13 Repealed
  47. 14Paragraph 14 Repealed
  48. 15Paragraph 15 Repealed
  49. 16Paragraph 16 Repealed
  50. 17Paragraph 17 Repealed
  51. 18Paragraph 18 Repealed
  52. 19Paragraph 19 Repealed
  53. Vesting of existing bodies’ foreign property in the Scottish Qualifications Authority Repealed
  54. 1Paragraph 1 Repealed
  55. Final reports and accounts of existing bodies etc. Repealed
  56. 2Paragraph 2 Repealed
  57. Continuity of exercise of functions Repealed
  58. 1Paragraph 1 Repealed
  59. Payment of grants by Secretary of State Repealed
  60. 2Paragraph 2 Repealed
  61. Information Repealed
  62. 3Paragraph 3 Repealed
  63. Application of Part I Repealed
  64. 4Paragraph 4 Repealed
  65. 1Paragraph 1 Repealed
  66. 2Paragraph 2 Repealed
  67. 3Paragraph 3 Repealed
  68. 4Paragraph 4 Repealed
  69. 5Paragraph 5 Repealed
  70. 6Paragraph 6 Repealed
  71. 7Paragraph 7 Repealed
  72. 8Paragraph 8 Repealed
  73. 9Paragraph 9 Repealed
  74. Schedule 5: Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments
  75. The House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (c.24)
  76. 1Paragraph 1
  77. 2Paragraph 2
  78. 3Paragraph 3
  79. 4Paragraph 4
  80. 5Paragraph 5
  81. The Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 (c.6)
  82. 6Paragraph 6
  83. The Finance Act 1991 (c.31)
  84. 7Paragraph 7
  85. 8Paragraph 8
  86. 9Paragraph 9

2General functions of SQA.

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3Accreditation function.

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4Quality assurance.

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5Advisory function.

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6Incidental functions.

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8Services to others, collaboration, agency etc.

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9Secretary of State’s directions to SQA.

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10Provision of information by SQA.

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11Annual report.

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12Financial duties of SQA.

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13Payment of grants etc. to SQA.

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14Secretary of State’s power to make loans.

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15Secretary of State’s guarantees of SQA’s borrowing.

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17Transfer of property etc. to SQA.

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18Transfer of staff to SQA.

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19Dissolution of the Scottish Examination Board and of the Scottish Vocational Education Council.

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20Transitional provisions as regards SQA.

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21Interpretation of Part I.

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22Service of documents.

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26Disclosure of information.F1 E+W+N.I.

(1)

This section applies to—

(a)

civil servants in the Scottish Office and any other persons who carry out the administrative work of that Office, and

(b)

any person exercising any function by virtue of section 25 of this Act and any persons who are employed by (or are directors or other officers of) any such person or who carry out the administrative work of any such person.

(2)

The Secretary of State may supply to any person to whom this section applies any such social security information as the person may require for or in connection with the exercise of any function in pursuance of section 23 of this Act.

(3)

Any person who is or has been a person to whom this section applies is guilty of an offence if, without lawful authority, he discloses any social security information relating to a particular person which he acquired while acting as a person to whom this section applies.

(4)

It is not an offence under subsection (3) above—

(a)

to disclose social security information in the form of a summary or collection of information so framed as not to enable social security information relating to any particular person to be ascertained from it; or

(b)

to disclose any social security information which has previously been disclosed to the public with lawful authority.

(5)

It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (3) above to prove that at the time of the alleged offence—

(a)

he believed that he was making the disclosure in question with lawful authority and had no reasonable cause to believe otherwise; or

(b)

he believed that the information in question had previously been disclosed to the public with lawful authority and had no reasonable cause to believe otherwise.

(6)

For the purposes of this section, a disclosure is to be regarded as made with lawful authority if, and only if, it is made—

(a)

by a person in accordance with his official duty as a civil servant;

(b)

by any other person either—

(i)

for the purposes of the function in the exercise of which he holds the information and without contravening any restriction duly imposed by the person responsible; or

(ii)

to, or in accordance with an authorisation duly given by, the person responsible;

(c)

in accordance with any enactment or order of a court;

(d)

for the purposes of instituting, or otherwise for the purposes of, any proceedings before a court; or

(e)

with the consent of the person to whom the information relates or of any person authorised to act on his behalf.

(7)

A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) above is liable—

(a)

on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine or both; or

(b)

on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both.

(8)

In this section—

  • “person responsible” means the F2Scottish Ministers or any person authorised by the Scottish Ministers; and

  • “social security information” means information which—

    1. (a)

      is of a description prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State, and

    2. (b)

      was obtained by reason of the exercise by the Secretary of State of any of his functions under the M1Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 or the M2Social Security Administration Act 1992.

28School Boards: elections.F1

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29School Boards: terms of office.F1

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30School Boards: conflict of interest.F1

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31School Boards: miscellaneous.F1

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37Short title, commencement and extent.

(1)

This Act may be cited as the Education (Scotland) Act 1996.

P1(2)

This Act shall come into force on such date as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument appoint; and different dates may be so appointed for different provisions or for different purposes.

(3)

An order under subsection (2) above may make such transitional and saving provisions as appear to the Secretary of State necessary or expedient in connection with the provision brought into force by the order.

(4)

Subject to subsections (5) and (6) below, this Act extends to Scotland only.

(5)

Section 26 of this Act extends to England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as Scotland.

(6)

The amendment by this Act of an enactment which extends to England and Wales or Northern Ireland extends also to England and Wales or, as the case may be, Northern Ireland.

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1

In Part II of Schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (bodies of which all members are disqualified) at the appropriate place there shall be inserted the following entry—

“The Scottish Qualifications Authority.”

2

After section 51(2B) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (provision of transport and other facilities) there shall be inserted the following subsection—

“(2C)

In considering whether to make any arrangements under subsection (1) above in respect of pupils attending schools, an education authority shall have regard to the safety of such pupils.”

3

After section 66(1) of that Act (inspection of educational establishments) there shall be inserted the following subsection—

“(1A)

Without prejudice to subsection (1) above, the Secretary of State shall have power to cause inspection to be made at premises where education is provided or proposed to be provided by a person to whom the Secretary of State has power to make a grant in pursuance of section 23 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, and such inspections shall be made by Her Majesty’s Inspectors or other persons appointed by the Secretary of State for the purpose.”

4

After section 13(3) of the Self-Governing Schools etc. (Scotland) Act 1989 (eligibility for self-governing status) there shall be inserted the following subsections—

“(3A)

Without prejudice to subsection (3) above, where an education authority makes a proposal to discontinue a school by virtue of section 22A of the 1980 Act, no resolution shall be passed or request made under subsection (1) above during the relevant period.

(3B)

The relevant period is whichever is the shorter of the period from the date when the education authority decides to consult persons in accordance with section 22A of the 1980 Act to the date the decision to discontinue the school is reached or—

(a)

where no consent is required under section 22B, 22C or 22D of the 1980 Act as regards the decision to discontinue the school, three months later;

(b)

where consent of the Secretary of State is so required, six months later.”

5

In section 30(1) of that Act (change in characteristics of self-governing school)—

(a)

after the word “than” in the second place where it occurs there shall be inserted the word “ (a) ”;

(b)

after the word “needs” there shall be inserted the words

“; or

(b)

provision of a nursery class,”.

6

In Schedule 1 to the Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 (courses of higher education)—

(a)

in paragraph 4(b), for the words “Scottish Vocational Education Council” there shall be substituted the words “ Scottish Qualifications Authority ”; and

(b)

in paragraph 6(b), for the words “of the Councils” there shall be substituted the words “ the Council or the Authority ”.

7

In section 32(10)(a)(ii) of the Finance Act 1991 (definition of qualifying course of vocational training) for the words “Scottish Vocational Education Council” there shall be substituted the words “ Scottish Qualifications Authority ”.

8

In subsection (1)(b)(i) of section 6 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 (further education to which section 1 of that Act applies) for the words “Scottish Examination Board qualification” there shall be substituted the words “ qualification awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority ”.

9

In section 38 of that Act (meaning of higher education)—

(a)

in subsection (3)(d), for the words “Scottish Vocational Education Council” there shall be substituted the words “ Scottish Qualifications Authority ”; and

(b)

in subsection (5)—

(i)

after the word “amend” there shall be inserted the word “(a)”; and

(ii)

at the end there shall be inserted the words

“; and

(b)

subsection (3) above.”