Community Use of School Premises Bill
[AS INTRODUCED]
CONTENTS
- Community use of school premises
- Commencement
- Short title
A
B I L L
TO
Make provision for community use of school premises.
BE IT ENACTED by being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and assented to by Her Majesty as follows:
Community use of school premises
1. After Article 140 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (community use of school premises) add¾
"Schemes for use of school premises
140A.¾ (1) The school guardians of every grant-aided school shall for each school year prepare, in relation to school premises for which they are responsible, a scheme providing for the use of the premises (when not required by or in connection with the school) by members of the community served by the school.
(2) Before preparing a scheme as required by paragraph (1) school guardians shall consult¾
(a) the appropriate board, in the case of a controlled school;
(b) the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, in the case of a Catholic maintained school;
(c) the staff of the school;
(d) the parents of registered pupils of the school; and
(f) such other persons and bodies as they consider appropriate.
(3) In preparing a scheme under paragraph (1) or consulting under paragraph (2), school guardians shall have regard to guidance issued by the Department under paragraph (4).
(4) The Department shall issue guidance to school guardians on the preparation of schemes under paragraph (1) and consultation under paragraph (2).
(5) School guardians of any of the following categories of school shall submit any scheme made under this Article to be approved by¾
(a) the appropriate board, in the case of a controlled school;
(b) the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools in the case of a Catholic maintained school; and
(c) the Department, in the case of a voluntary school or a grant-maintained integrated school;
and an approving body may approve any scheme with or without amendment or may disapprove it and require the school guardians to re-submit a revised scheme.
(6) Subject to paragraph (7), school guardians shall implement any scheme made under this Article in respect of the school for which they are responsible.
(7) In the case of a scheme which must be approved under paragraph (5), school guardians shall implement the scheme that has been approved in respect of the school under that paragraph, and pending such approval shall implement, or continue to implement¾
(a) in the case of the first scheme relating to the school which is submitted for approval under this Article, the scheme as submitted in draft; and
(b) in the case of every subsequent scheme, the scheme approved for the immediately preceding year so far as capable of continued implementation and, where it is not so capable, the draft scheme as submitted.
(8) School guardians shall¾
(a) as soon as practicable after the end of the first school year in which this Article comes into force; and
(b) as soon as practicable after the end of each school year thereafter;
send a report to the Department on the exercise of their functions under this Article, and the Department shall each year publish a report summarising the reports so sent.
(9) School guardians may discharge their duties under this Article¾
(a) jointly with school guardians of other schools; or
(b) by entering into arrangements with¾
(i) a board, in the case of a controlled school; or
(ii) the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, in the case of a Catholic maintained school.
(10) Regulations made under article 140 shall not affect the operation of this Article.
(11) In this Article "school guardians" means in the case of a controlled school, the managers and Board of Governors, and in the case of a voluntary school or a grant-maintained integrated school, the trustees and managers.".
Commencement
2. This Act shall come into operation on the expiration of 12 months from the date on which this Act receives Royal Assent.
Short title
3. This Act may be cited as the Community Use of School Premises Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.