- a non-maintained special school
means a school that is approved under section 342;
- a sixth-form pupil
means a pupil who— a has ceased to be of compulsory school age, and b is receiving education suitable to the requirements of pupils over compulsory school age.”
- a special institution
means an institution that is specially organised to make special educational provision for students with special educational needs.
- academic year
means any period beginning with 1 August and ending with the next 31 July.
- actual guided learning
has the meaning given by section 8(3).
- an academic year
means a period of 12 months ending with 31 August;
- an action plan
has the meaning given by section 114(4);
- an independent inspectorate
has the meaning given by section 106;
- an independent post-16 college
means an institution in England—
- any relevant standard
means any independent educational institution standard that is—
- apprenticeship agreement
means an apprenticeship agreement within the meaning given in section 32 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 or an approved English apprenticeship agreement within the meaning given in section A1(3) of that Act;
- appropriate authority
has the same meaning as in sections 128 to 131 (see section 128(6));
- appropriate full-time education or training
has the meaning given by section 4;
- appropriate person
means— a a body or person within any of paragraphs (a) to (f) of section 88F(3);
- assessment function
means any of the following functions—
- assigned
means assigned by a recognised body in accordance with section 145 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009;
- contract of employment
means a contract of service, whether express or implied and (if it is express) whether oral or in writing, but does not include a contract of apprenticeship or an apprenticeship agreement;
- Crown employment
means employment under or for the purposes of a government department or any officer or body exercising on behalf of the Crown functions conferred by statutory provision, but subject to subsection (6).
- early years provision
has the meaning given by section 96(2) of the Childcare Act 2006 (c. 21);
- education
means full-time or part-time education, but does not include higher education (namely, education provided by means of a course of any description mentioned in Schedule 6 to the Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40));
- educational institution
means— (a) a community, foundation or voluntary school, (b) a community or foundation special school, (c) a city technology college, a city college for the technology of the arts or an Academy, (d) a pupil referral unit, (e) an institution within the further education sector, or (f) an institution (other than one within any of paragraphs (a) to (e)) in receipt of funding from a local authority, or the Secretary of State;
- harm
has the same meaning as in the Children Act 1989 (c. 41) and the question of whether harm is significant is to be determined in accordance with section 31(10) of that Act.
- independent educational institution standards
means—
- initial period
means— (a) in relation to a maintained school which is being established, the period beginning with the day on which the school opens and ending with the beginning of the first school term to begin after the following July;
- level 3 qualification
has the meaning given by section 3;
- local authority
has the meaning given by section 65(1) of that Act;
- local probation board
means a local probation board established under section 4 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (c. 43);
- post-16 institution
has the meaning given by section 83(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014;
- prescribed
means prescribed by regulations made by the Welsh Ministers;
- prescribed alteration
means an alteration prescribed for the purposes of section 18 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. 88H 1 This section applies where admission arrangements have been determined by an admission authority for a maintained school in England under section 88C. 2 Where— a an appropriate person wishes to make an objection about the admission arrangements, and b the objection does not fall within any description of objections prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph, that person may refer the objection to the adjudicator. 3 Where— a a parent of a prescribed description wishes to make an objection about the admission arrangements, and b the objection falls within any description of objections prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph, that person may refer the objection to the adjudicator. 4 On a reference under subsection (2) or (3) the adjudicator must decide whether, and (if so) to what extent, the objection should be upheld. 5 Regulations may make provision— a as to any conditions which must be satisfied before— i an objection can be referred to the adjudicator under subsection (2) or (3), or ii the adjudicator is required to determine an objection
- protected change
means a change which the adjudicator has decided under section 88J(4)(a) is to be a protected change for the purposes of this section;
- qualifying scheme
means a scheme that meets prescribed requirements. 6 Nothing in this section applies in relation to arrangements for the admission to maintained schools of pupils— a who— i have ceased to be of compulsory school age, or ii will have ceased to be of compulsory school age before education is provided for them at the school, or b for the purpose of receiving sixth form education. 88N 1 Regulations may make provision about the contents of schemes under section 88M(2), including provision about the duties that may be imposed by such schemes on— a local authorities in England, and b the admission authorities for maintained schools in England. 2 Regulations may provide that where a local authority in England or the governing body of a maintained school in England have, in such manner as may be prescribed, adopted a scheme formulated by a local authority for the purpose mentioned in section 88M(1)(a), sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 are to apply as if any obligations imposed on the local authority or governing body under the scheme were duties imposed on them by that Act. 3 Regulations may provide that where any decision as to whether a child is to be gra
- registered
means entered in the register;
- regulated qualification
has the same meaning as in Part 7 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (see section 130 of that Act).
- regulations
means regulations made by the Welsh Ministers.”
- relevant arrangements
means arrangements that require the approval of the Secretary of State by virtue of section 342(5)(a). 3 Regulations under this section must provide that an appeal brought by virtue of this section— a lies to the First-tier Tribunal, and b must be brought by the proprietor of the school in question. 4 The regulations may in particular make provision, in the case of an appeal brought by virtue of subsection (1)(a), prohibiting the Secretary of State from acting on a decision to withdraw approval during the period in which— a an appeal against the decision could be brought, or b where an appeal has been brought, the appeal has not been determined, withdrawn or otherwise
- relevant duty
means a duty under any of sections 43(3), 44(9) and 45(3).”
- Relevant enactment
means an enactment made by or under any other Act passed before the end of the session in which the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 was passed, including any other Act as amended by or under that Act.
- relevant evidence
means—
- relevant independent educational institution
means an institution other than a school which— a provides part-time education for one or more persons of compulsory school age (“part-time students”) whether or not it also provides full-time education for any person, and b would be an independent school but for the fact that the education provided for the part-time student or students is part-time rather than full-time.
- relevant information
means—
- relevant member of the House of Commons staff
has the same meaning as in section 195 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (c. 18).
- relevant restriction
has the meaning given by section 117;
- relevant school
means— a a maintained school, b an Academy, c a city technology college, or d a city college for the technology of the arts. 4 The matters which may be prescribed under subsection (1) in relation to a report by a local authority include, in particular, matters relating to— a the determination and operation of admission arrangements for maintained schools in the area of the local authority;
- relevant training or education
has the meaning given by section 6;
- relevant young adult
means a person who—................................
- responsible person
means— (a) in relation to a school within paragraph (a) or (b) of the definition of “educational institution”, the governing body;
- sixth form education
means secondary education suitable to the requirements of pupils who are over compulsory school age. 2 References in this Chapter, in relation to a child who has been admitted to a school, to his entering the school's sixth form are to his being transferred to a class at the school in which sixth form education is provided from a class in which such education is not so provided.”
- social security information
means personal information about a young person which is held for the purposes of functions relating to social security—
- specified
means specified in regulations made under this section.
- student
means— (a) in relation to an independent school, a pupil (for the meaning of “pupil” see section 3 of the Education Act 1996 (c. 56));
- subordinate legislation
has the same meaning as in the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30).
- the 2004 Act
means the Children Act 2004 (c. 31);
- the appropriate authority
means—
- the appropriate national authority
means— a in relation to a school in England, the Secretary of State;
- the Chief Inspector
means Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills;
- the register
means the register of independent educational institutions in England (see section 95);
- the relevant area
means— a the area of the local authority in which the school in question is situated, or b if regulations so provide, such other area in England (whether more or less extensive than the area of the local authority) as may be determined by or in accordance with the regulations. 88G 1 Subsection (2) applies in relation to a maintained school in England where— a proposals for the establishment of, or the making of a prescribed alteration to, the school have been published under Part 2 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 or under section 113A of, or Schedule 7 to, the Learning and Skills Act 2000, b in the case of proposals for the making of a prescribed alteration to the school, the proposals are for an increase in the number of pupils that may be admitted to the school or for an enlargement of the premises, c the proposals fall to be implemented (with or without modifications), and d prescribed conditions are satisfied. 2 Regulations may provide that, where this subsection applies in relation to a maintained school— a the admission arrangements for the initial period and each of a prescribed number of school years following that period are to be the arrangem
- the relevant day
means the day on which section 128 comes into force.
- the required number
means such number as may be prescribed or such lesser number as is specified by the adjudicator under section 88J(4)(b) in relation to a particular protected change. 3 The admission authority for the school— a must incorporate the protected provisions in determining the admission arrangements for each of the required number of school years following the school year mentioned in subsection (1)(a), and b may not vary those arrangements in such a way as to alter the protected provisions. 4 Subsection (3) does not apply to the extent that— a the admission authority are required to determine or vary their admission arrangements in a way which alters the protected provisions in order to comply with any duty imposed on them by regulations under section 88B, or b the arrangements may be determined or varied in a way which alters those provisions in accordance with regulations under subsection (6). 5 Regulations may exclude or modify any provision of section 88C, 88E or 88F in its application to cases to which this section applies. 6 Regulations may prescribe circumstances in which, in a case where this section applies, an admission authority may refer to the adjudicat
- the requirements relating to admission arrangements
means the requirements imposed by or under this Part as to the content of admission arrangements for maintained schools in England. 88L 1 This section applies where— a in accordance with section 88J(3)(b) the admissions authority for a maintained school in England have revised any provisions of admission arrangements for a school year, and b the revisions include any protected change. 2 In this section— • “protected change” means a change which the adjudicator has decided under section 88J(4)(a) is to be a protected change for the purposes of this section;
- the Tribunal
means the First-tier Tribunal.
- training
means full-time or part-time training, and includes vocational, social, physical and recreational training;
- young person
means a person who has attained the age of 13 but not the age of 20, and
- youth offending team
means a team established under section 39 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (c. 37).