text_body: --- DIVISION TITLE ---
  
  School Standards and Framework Bill - Grant Maintained Schools (Parental Ballot) - rejected
  
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  <p>The majority No voters rejected a new clause to the <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmbills/135/1998135.htm#aofs">School Standards and Framework Bill</a>. The clause would have required schools to ballot parents on whether they wanted their school to remain grant maintained. The clause reads as follows:</p>
  
  <blockquote><p>"(1) Where a school is a grant maintained school within the meaning of the <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1996/ukpga_19960056_en_1">Education Act 1996</a> at the beginning of the 1998â99 school yearâ "</p>
  
  <p>(a) the provisions of this clause shall have effect for prescribing the procedure for altering the school's status so that it is no longer a grant maintained school; and</p>
  <p>(b) the status of the school as a grant maintained school shall not be so altered except in accordance with the provisions of this clause.</p>
  
  <p>"(2) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for ballots of parents to be held, at their request, for determining whether the grant maintained school to which such a ballot relates should retain its status as a grant maintained school. "</p>
  <p>"(3) Ballot regulations may make provisionâ "</p>
  
  <p>(a) for determining the parents who are eligible to request and vote in a ballot under this section, provided that such determination shall include only parents of children for the time being in the school or who have accepted an offer of a place in the school;</p>
  <p>(b) requiring a request for such a ballot to be made by means of a petition signed by such number eligible parents as may be specified in or determined in accordance with the regulations;</p>
  <p>(c) prescribing the form of any petition and other requirements (whether as to the procedure to be followed or otherwise) which are to be complied with in relation to any such petition;</p>
  <p>(d) prescribing the body ("the designated body") to which any such petition is to be sent and which, under arrangements made by Secretary of State, is toâ</p>
  <p>(i) make the arrangements for the holding of ballots under this section, and</p>
  <p>(ii) discharge such other functions with respect to such petitions and the holding of such ballots as may be prescribed (which may include the determination of any question arising as to the validity of any request for a ballot);</p>
  <p>(e) requiring prescribed bodies or persons, or bodies or persons falling within any prescribed categoryâ</p>
  <p>(i) to provide the designated body or any other person with any prescribed information requested by that body or person, or</p>
  <p>(ii) to publish prescribed information in such manner as may be prescribed;</p>
  <p>(f) prescribing the terms of the question on which a ballot under this section is to be held and the manner in which such a ballot is to be conducted;</p>
  <p>(g) specify how the result of such a ballot is to be ascertained;</p>
  <p>(h) enabling the Secretary of State, in any prescribed circumstances, to declare a previous ballot under this section void and require the holding of a fresh ballot;</p>
  <p>(i) requiring anything falling to be done under the regulations to be done within such period as may be specified in or determined in accordance with the regulations;</p>
  
  <p>"(4) Ballot regulations may provide for a request for a ballot under this section to be made, in any prescribed circumstances, by means of two or more petitions. "</p>
  <p>"(5) The information required to be provided in pursuance of subsection (3)(e) may include the names and addresses of parents of any prescribed description. "</p>
  <p>"(6) Whereâ "</p>
  
  <p>(a) a ballot has been held under this section, and</p>
  <p>(b) the result of the ballot was to the effect that the schools or school in question should retain grant-maintained status,</p>
  
  <p>"no further ballot relating to the schools or school shall be held under this section within five years. "</p>
  <p>"(7) An authority or body to whom this subsection applies shall notâ "</p>
  
  <p>(a) publish any material which, in whole or in part, appears designed to influence the result of a ballot under this section, or</p>
  <p>(b) give any financial or other assistance to a person for the publication of material, which the authority or body are prohibited by this subsection from publishing themselves, or</p>
  <p>(c) otherwise incur any expenditure, or give any assistance, for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a ballot under this section.</p>
  
  <p>"(8) Subsection (7) applies toâ "</p>
  
  <p>(a) any local education authority, and</p>
  <p>(b) the governing body of any maintained school within the meaning of <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1996/ukpga_19960056_en_1">section 95</a> and in the case of the governing body of such a school which has a delegated budget within the meaning of Part II of this Act (or, in relation to any time before the appointed day, <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1996/ukpga_19960056_en_4#pt2">Part II of the Education Act 1996</a>) the reference to expenditure in subsection (7)(c) is to expenditure out of the school's budget share.</p>
  
  <p>"(9) In this section, "ballot regulations" means regulations made under this section."</p></blockquote>
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  