Statutory Instruments
1998 No. 392

EDUCATION, ENGLAND AND WALES
WALES
The Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (Wales) Regulations 1998

Made
3rd March 1998

Laid before Parliament
9th March 1998

Coming into force
1st April 1998

In exercise of the powers conferred upon the Secretary of State by sections 484, 489 and 569(4) of the Education Act 1996(1) the Secretary of State for Wales hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and application

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (Wales) Regulations 1998 and shall come into force on 1st April 1998.

(2) These Regulations apply in relation to local education authorities in Wales.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the Act” means the Education Act 1996;

“approved expenditure” means any expenditure which is approved as provided in regulation 3;

“baseline assessment scheme” means a scheme designed to enable pupils at a maintained school which is a primary school to be assessed for the purpose of assisting the future planning of their education and the measurement of their future educational achievements;

“class” means a group in which pupils are taught in an ordinary teaching session;

“determine” means determine by notice in writing;

“education authority” means a local education authority in Wales;

“financial year” means a period of twelve months ending with 31st March;

“grant” means a grant in pursuance of these Regulations;

“Key stages 3 and 4” means the periods specified in paragraphs (C) and (D) respectively of section 355(1) of the Act;

“infant class” means a class containing pupils the majority of whom will attain the age of five, six or seven during the school year;

“leisure time facilities” means facilities of a kind which education authorities are under the duty imposed by sections 2(3)(b) and 508(1) and (2) of the Act to secure are provided within their areas;

“maintained school” means a school maintained by an education authority;

“member of the Inspectorate” has the meaning assigned to it by section 46(1) of the School Inspections Act 1996(2);

“mentor” means an experienced head teacher giving advice and assistance to support the professional development of an inexperienced head teacher;

“named person” means a person whom the education authority are satisfied is able (having regard to any criteria set out in the Code of Practice issued by the Secretary of State under section 313 of the Act) to provide accurate information and sound advice to a parent about his child’s special educational needs, and is agreeable to being named as a person from whom the parent may seek such information and advice when the education authority serve a copy of the child’s statement of special educational needs on the parent pursuant to paragraph 6 of Schedule 27 to the Act;

“National Grid for Learning” means a system of inter-connecting networks and education services based on the internet which is designed to support teaching, learning, training and administration in schools, the wider education service, and the community;

“ordinary teaching session” does not include a school assembly or other school activity conducted with large groups of pupils;

“prescribed expenditure” means expenditure by an education authority for or in connection with any of the purposes specified in the Schedule hereto;

“pupil” has the meaning assigned to it by section 3 of the Act;

“qualified teacher” means a person who, by virtue of the regulations(3) relating to the employment of teachers from time to time in force under section 218 of the Education Reform Act 1988(4), is qualified to be employed as a teacher at a school of the kind described in subsection (12) of that section;

“registered inspector” means a person who is registered as an inspector in accordance with section 7(1) and (2) of the School Inspections Act 1996;

“special educational needs” has the meaning assigned to it by section 312(1) of the Act;

“young person” has the meaning assigned to it by section 579(1) of the Act;

“youth and community worker” means a person employed in connection with leisure-time facilities, other than in a solely administrative, secretarial, clerical or manual capacity.

(2) In these Regulations a reference to a regulation is a reference to a regulation contained herein, a reference in a regulation to a paragraph is a reference to a paragraph of that regulation, and a reference to the Schedule is a reference to the Schedule to these Regulations.

Expenditure in respect of which grants are payable

3.  Grants shall only be payable in respect of prescribed expenditure incurred or to be incurred in a financial year to the extent to which that expenditure is approved for that year by the Secretary of State for the purposes of these Regulations.

Grants in respect of payments to third parties

4.  Where—

(a)an education authority incur expenditure in making payments, whether by way of maintenance, assistance or otherwise, to any other body or persons (including another education authority) who incur expenditure for or in connection with educational purposes, and

(b)that expenditure of the recipient of the payments or any part thereof would be prescribed expenditure if it were expenditure of the authority,

such payments shall to that extent be treated as prescribed expenditure for the purposes of these Regulations.

Rate of Grant

5.—(1) Grants in respect of approved expenditure incurred on or after 1st April 1998 of the kind referred to in paragraphs 13 and 24 of the Schedule shall be paid at the rate of 100 per cent of such expenditure.

(2) Grants in respect of other approved expenditure incurred on or after 1st April 1998 shall be payable at the rate of 60 per cent of such expenditure.

Conditions for payment of grant

6.—(1) No payment of grant shall be made except in response to an application in writing from an education authority to the Secretary of State, authenticated by the officer of the authority responsible for the administration of their financial affairs or his deputy.

(2) Applications for the payment of grant which relate to expenditure incurred on or after 1st April 1998 shall relate to expenditure over one or more of the periods specified in paragraph (3) and shall specify the approved expenditure in respect of which grant is applied for which has been or which it is estimated will be incurred by the education authority during each such period.

(3) The periods referred to in paragraph (2) are—

(a)1st April to 31st July;

(b)1st August to 31st December;

(c)1st January to 31st March.

(4) Where an application relating to approved expenditure which has been or which it is estimated will be incurred during the period 1st January to 31st March in any year is submitted under paragraph (1), such payment as the Secretary of State may determine but not exceeding, save where he determines otherwise in the case of an application relating to approved expenditure of the kind referred to in paragraph 24 of the Schedule, three-quarters of the grant applied for in respect of that expenditure may be made forthwith, but no further payment of grant shall be made in respect of that expenditure until a statement has been submitted in accordance with paragraph (5)(a).

(5) Each education authority which has received or seeks to receive a payment of grant in respect of expenditure incurred during any financial year shall, before 31st July in the following financial year or as soon as practicable after that date—

(a)submit to the Secretary of State a statement which shall specify the approved expenditure in respect of which grant has been or is being applied for which has been incurred by the education authority during that year; and

(b)secure the submission to the Secretary of State of a certificate signed by the auditor appointed by the Audit Commission for Local Authorities and the National Health Service in England and Wales to audit the accounts of the authority or any auditor qualified for such appointment by virtue of section 13(5), (5A) and (6) of the Local Government Finance Act 1982(5) certifying that in his opinion the particulars stated in the statement submitted by the authority pursuant to this paragraph are fairly stated and that the expenditure incurred was approved for the purposes of section 484 of the Act.

(6) No payment of grant shall be made in respect of expenditure incurred by an education authority in the period 1st August to 31st December in any year or any subsequent period if grant was paid to the authority in respect of expenditure in the previous financial year but the Secretary of State has not yet received the auditor’s certificate referred to in paragraph (5)(b) for that year.

(7) Any under-payment or over-payment of grant which remains outstanding following receipt of the auditor’s certificate referred to in paragraph (5)(b) shall, without prejudice to the recovery of any over-payment from any subsequent payment of grant to the education authority, be adjusted by payment between the authority and the Secretary of State.

7.  Where at the time of approving expenditure for the purpose of these Regulations, the Secretary of State requests information in respect of any purpose listed in the Schedule hereto, payment of grant in respect of that purpose shall be conditional on that information being included in the education authority’s application for payment of grant.

8.—(1) The Secretary of State may from time to time determine further conditions on the fulfilment of which the making of any payment in pursuance of the Regulations shall be dependent.

(2) Where conditions have been determined in pursuance of this regulation no grant shall be payable unless such conditions have either been fulfilled or been withdrawn in pursuance of paragraph (3).

(3) The Secretary of State may determine to withdraw or, after consulting the education authority, vary conditions determined in pursuance of this regulation.

Requirements to be complied with

9.  Any education authority to whom a payment of grant has been made shall, if so required by the Secretary of State, furnish him with such further information as may be required to enable him to verify that any grant paid has been properly paid under these Regulations.

10.  Any education authority to whom a payment of grant has been made shall comply with such requirements (including requirements as to the repayment of grant or the payment to the Secretary of State of other sums related to the value of assets acquired, provided or improved with the aid of grant or interest on sums due to him) as may be determined by the Secretary of State in the case in question.

11.—(1) The Secretary of State may require any education authority to delegate decisions about the spending of—

(a)grant, and

(b)amounts allocated by the authority to meet prescribed expenditure approved in accordance with regulation 3,

to the governing body of a maintained school.

(2) The Secretary of State may determine to withdraw or, after consulting the education authority, vary requirements determined in pursuance of this regulation.

Revocation and transitional provisions

12.  The Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (Wales) Regulations 1997(6) and the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 1997(7) are hereby revoked, but nothing in this regulation shall prevent the Secretary of State from making payments of grant authorised by those Regulations in respect of expenditure incurred on or before 31st March 1998 or affect any condition or requirement determined by or in accordance with any of the Regulations so revoked.

Regulations 2 and 3

SCHEDULEPURPOSES FOR OR IN CONNECTION WITH WHICH GRANTS ARE PAYABLE

1.  The provision of—

(a)support and training for the implementation and administration of schemes for financing county schools, voluntary schools and special schools maintained by local education authorities made under section 103 of the Act;

(b)training and professional development in management and leadership skills of teachers and those employed in schools as secretaries, bursars and in other administration capacities;

(c)training of head teachers as mentors;

(d)support and training for school governors in management and leadership skills;

(e)support, training, books and equipment to assist schools with the implementation, organisation and delivery of the National Curriculum;

(f)support, training, books and equipment with a view to raising standards of attainment of pupils in the subjects of mathematics, English, science, Welsh, technology, physical education, history, geography, art, music, modern foreign languages and religious education and reducing any difference in such standards of attainment between male and female pupils;

(g)support, training, books and equipment with a view to raising standards of attainment of pupils in General Certificate of Education Advanced Level and Advanced Supplementary Examinations particularly in science and technology subjects, and reducing any difference in such standards of attainment between male and female pupils;

(h)information and communications technology and equipment, programmes and data, and training in the use of such equipment, programmes and data to enhance teaching and learning in all curriculum subjects;

(i)training for school governors and persons employed in schools in the skills required to enable them to set targets, improve development plans and to set objectives for enhanced school performance in all the subjects of the curriculum, and to address any weaknesses identified in a report of an inspection carried out by a member of the Inspectorate or a registered inspector; and

(j)training for persons employed at schools in Wales which is aimed at equipping (or better equipping) them to conduct, or to assist in conducting, acts of religious worship at such schools in accordance with sections 385 and 386 of the Act.

2.—(a) Support and training for the implementation in schools in Wales of the arrangements for assessing pupils in relation to National Curriculum attainment targets under Chapter II of Part V of the Act, or under any baseline assessment scheme.

(b)Training for teachers in the following activities, namely—

(i)administering National Curriculum tests, administering and marking National Curriculum tasks and carrying out teacher assessments in respect of the second and third key stages in accordance with the requirements of articles 4 to 9 of the Education (National Curriculum) (Assessment Arrangements for English, Welsh, Mathematics and Science) (Key Stage 2) (Wales) Order 1997(8) and articles 4 to 12 of the Education (National Curriculum) (Key Stage 3 Assessment Arrangements) (Wales) Order 1997(9); and

(ii)administering and marking standard task assessments and carrying out teacher assessments in respect of the first key stage in accordance with the requirements of articles 4 to 9 of the Education (National Curriculum) (Assessment Arrangements for English, Welsh, Mathematics and Science) (Key Stage 1) (Wales) Order 1997(10) and the provision of additional staff to assist schools for the period during which teachers are engaged in those activities.

3.  Support for schemes to improve the teaching of literacy and numeracy in primary schools (including training of classroom assistants who are not teachers) with a view to improving pupils' standards of literacy and numeracy in such schools.

4.  The training and professional development of head teachers.

5.  The training and professional development of teachers (other than head teachers), including professional development and training with a view to their taking the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

6.  The training of teachers to teach, through the medium of Welsh, subjects required to be taught under the National Curriculum.

7.  The training of teachers of, and other staff with responsibility for, children with special educational needs employed in maintained schools in Wales.

8.  Support and training for governors of maintained schools in Wales and for those employed in such schools as teachers and in other capacities, in developing policies for pupils with special educational needs.

9.  Support for education authorities in identifying named persons.

10.  Support for qualified teachers who are newly qualified.

11.  The training of persons granted a licence or authorisation to teach by the Secretary of State under regulations for the time being in force under section 218(3)(11) of the Education Reform Act 1988 to enable them to become qualified teachers.

12.  Support for schools in Wales which offer vocational courses leading to General National Vocational Qualifications, or which are preparing for the introduction of such courses, including the provision of training, books and equipment.

13.  Action (including the appointment of additional teachers) aimed at reducing the number of pupils taught in infant classes at schools in Wales.

14.  Action to improve rates of attendance in schools in Wales and to improve provision for pupils whose behaviour poses difficulties for such schools.

15.  The training of persons employed as youth and community workers.

16.  Training for teachers with responsibility for child protection in schools in Wales.

17.  Training for careers teachers, and training for other teachers in the provision of vocational and careers education and guidance in schools in Wales.

18.  Support for teachers at secondary schools in Wales in establishing an effective system for reviewing and recording pupils' achievements.

19.  Training for teachers with responsibility for providing health and sex education in schools in Wales, particularly related to the misuse of drugs.

20.  The improvement of the planning and co-ordination of educational provision in Wales for children aged under five.

21.  The provision of training and advice for persons employed at schools concerning action which could be taken to improve the security of school premises and the personal safety of pupils and persons working at schools.

22.  Projects to improve levels of literacy of families in Wales by encouraging parents to assist their children with learning to read and write.

23.  Training for teachers and other persons employed to work in schools in Wales with children under the age of five.

24.  The improvement, renovation or replacement of buildings used for educational purposes; the provision and installation of cabling for information and communications technology equipment as part of such improvement, renovation or replacement; and the provision and installation of equipment to enhance the teaching and learning of design and technology at key stages 3 and 4 and above (whether or not as part of such improvement, renovation or replacement), particularly in relation to control technology and the design and manufacture of products with the aid of information and communications technology and equipment.

25.  Projects to foster the reintegration or progression of young persons into forms of education or training suitable to their needs, abilities and aptitudes.

26.  Support to enable maintained schools to secure effective use of the networked educational services made available through the National Grid for Learning by the replacement of obsolete equipment, the provision of suitable internal and external networking facilities, quality software and on-line services, and associated training in basic information communications technology use.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Peter Hain
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
3rd March 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations, which apply only in Wales, supersede the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (Wales) Regulations 1997 (as amended), which are revoked.
Some of the purposes in respect of which grant is payable have been modified and some new purposes added—see paragraphs 1(j), 4, 5, 13, 18, 21, 24, 25 and 26 of the Schedule.


(1)
1996 c. 56. For the meaning of “regulations” see section 579(1).

(2)
1996 c. 57.

(3)
The regulations currently in force are the Education (Teachers) Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993/543), amended by S.I. 1993/1969, 1994/222 (revoking 1993/1969), 1995/602, 1995/2594, 1996/1603, 1997/368 and 1997/2679.

(4)
Section 218 was (so far as relevant to these Regulations) amended by paragraph 49 of Schedule 8 to the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (c. 13); by section 14(1) and (3) of, and paragraph 8(4) of Schedule 2 to, the Education Act 1994; and by paragraph 76 of Schedule 37 to the Education Act 1996.

(5)
1982 c. 32; subsection (5) of section 13 was amended by section 20 of, and paragraph 3 of Schedule 4 to, the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19).

(6)
S.I. 1997/390.

(7)
S.I. 1997/2395.

(8)
S.I. 1997/2009.

(9)
S.I. 1997/2010.

(10)
S.I. 1997/2011.

(11)
Section 218(3) was amended by section 14(3) of the Education Act 1994.