Education Act 1993

Section 244.

SCHEDULE 14School Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Status

1The Authority shall not be regarded as a servant or agent of the Crown or as enjoying any status, immunity or privilege of the Crown; and their property shall not be regarded as property of, or property held on behalf of, the Crown.

Powers

2(1)The Authority may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is incidental or conducive to, the carrying out of any of their functions.

(2)In particular, the Authority may—

(a)acquire or dispose of land or other property,

(b)enter into contracts,

(c)form bodies corporate or subscribe for shares or stock,

(d)invest any sums not immediately required for the purpose of carrying out their functions,

(e)accept gifts of money, land or other property, and

(f)borrow money.

3(1)The Authority may also give to any person or body (whether or not in the United Kingdom) such assistance, other than financial assistance, as they may determine.

(2)The Authority may give assistance under this paragraph on such terms, including terms as to payment, as they may determine.

(3)The consent of the Secretary of State shall be required for the exercise of any power conferred by this paragraph.

Chief officer

4(1)The Authority shall have a chief officer.

(2)The first chief officer shall be appointed by the Secretary of State on such terms and conditions as he thinks fit.

(3)Each subsequent chief officer shall be appointed by the Authority with the approval of the Secretary of State on such terms and conditions as the Authority may with the approval of the Secretary of State determine.

Chairman and chief officer: division of functions

5(1)The Secretary of State may, on appointing a person to be the chairman of the Authority, confer on him such additional functions in relation to the Authority as may be specified in the appointment.

(2)The functions for the time being conferred by virtue of appointment as chief officer of the Authority shall not include any function for the time being conferred under sub-paragraph (1) above on the chairman of the Authority.

Tenure of office

6(1)A person shall hold and vacate office as a member or as chairman or deputy chairman of the Authority in accordance with the terms of his appointment and shall, on ceasing to be a member, be eligible for re-appointment.

(2)A person may at any time by notice in writing to the Secretary of State resign his office as a member or as chairman or deputy chairman of the Authority.

7The Secretary of State may, if satisfied that a member of the Authority—

(a)has been absent from meetings of the Authority for a continuous period of more than six months without the permission of the Authority, or

(b)is unable or unfit to discharge the functions of a member,

remove him from office by giving him notice in writing and thereupon the office shall become vacant.

8If the chairman or deputy chairman of the Authority ceases to be a member of the Authority, he shall also cease to be chairman or deputy chairman.

Payments to members

9(1)The Authority shall pay to their members such salaries or fees, and such travelling, subsistence or other allowances, as the Secretary of State may determine.

(2)The Authority shall, as regards any member in whose case the Secretary of State may so determine, pay, or make provision for the payment of, such sums by way of pension, allowances and gratuities to or in respect of him as the Secretary of State may determine.

(3)If a person ceases to be a member of the Authority and it appears to the Secretary of State that there are special circumstances which make it right that he should receive compensation, the Secretary of State may direct the Authority to make to that person a payment of such amount as the Secretary of State may determine.

(4)A determination or direction of the Secretary of State under this paragraph requires the approval of the Treasury.

Staff

10Subject to the approval of the Secretary of State given with the consent of the Treasury, the Authority—

(a)may appoint such number of employees on such terms and conditions as they think fit, and

(b)shall pay to their employees such remuneration and allowances as they may determine.

11(1)Employment with the Authority shall be included among the kinds of employment to which a scheme under section 1 of the [1972 c. 11.] Superannuation Act 1972 can apply, and accordingly in Schedule 1 to that Act (in which those kinds of employment are listed) at the end of the list of Other Bodies there is inserted—

“School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.”

(2)The Authority shall pay to the Treasury, at such times as the Treasury may direct, such sums as the Treasury may determine in respect of the increase attributable to this paragraph in the sums payable under the Superannuation Act 1972 out of money provided by Parliament.

(3)Where an employee of the Authority is, by reference to that employment, a participant in a scheme under section 1 of the Superannuation Act 1972 and is also a member of the Authority, the Treasury may determine that his service as such a member shall be treated for the purposes of the scheme as service as an employee of the Authority (whether or not any benefits are payable to or in respect of him by virtue of paragraph 9 above).

Finance

12(1)The Secretary of State may make grants to the Authority of such amount as he thinks fit in respect of expenses incurred or to be incurred by the Authority in carrying out their functions.

(2)The payment of grant under this paragraph shall be subject to the fulfilment of such conditions as the Secretary of State may determine.

(3)The Secretary of State may also impose such requirements as he thinks fit in connection with the payment of grant under this paragraph.

Committees

13(1)The Authority may establish a committee for any purpose.

(2)The Authority shall determine the number of a committee’s members and the terms on which they are to hold and vacate office.

(3)A committee may include persons who are not members of the Authority.

(4)The Authority shall keep under review the structure of committees established under this paragraph and the scope of each committee’s activities.

Delegation

14The Authority may authorise the chairman, the deputy chairman, the chief officer or any committee established under paragraph 13 above to carry out such of the Authority’s functions as the Authority may determine.

Proceedings

15(1)A representative of the Secretary of State shall be entitled to attend and take part in any deliberations (but not in decisions) at meetings of the Authority or of any committee of the Authority.

(2)The Authority shall provide the Secretary of State with such copies of any documents distributed to members of the Authority or of any such committee as he may require.

16(1)Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools in England, or a representative of his, shall be entitled to attend and take part in any deliberations (but not in decisions) at meetings of the Authority or of any committee of the Authority.

(2)The Authority shall provide Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools in England with such copies of any documents distributed to members of the Authority or of any such committee as he may require.

17(1)The chairman of the Curriculum Council for Wales, or a representative of his, shall be entitled to attend and take part in any deliberations (but not in decisions) at meetings of the Authority or of any committee of the Authority.

(2)The Authority shall provide the chairman of the Curriculum Council for Wales with such copies of any documents distributed to members of the Authority or of any such committee as he may require.

18The validity of proceedings of the Authority shall not be affected by a vacancy among the members or any defect in the appointment of a member.

19Subject to the preceding provisions of this Schedule, the Authority may regulate their own procedure and that of any of their committees.

Accounts

20(1)The Authority shall—

(a)keep proper accounts and proper records in relation to the accounts,

(b)prepare in respect of each financial year of the Authority a statement of accounts, and

(c)send copies of the statement to the Secretary of State and to the Comptroller and Auditor General before the end of the month of August next following the financial year to which the statement relates.

(2)The statement of accounts shall comply with any directions given by the Secretary of State with the approval of the Treasury as to—

(a)the information to be contained in it,

(b)the manner in which the information contained in it is to be presented, or

(c)the methods and principles according to which the statement is to be prepared.

(3)The Comptroller and Auditor General shall examine, certify and report on each statement received by him in pursuance of this paragraph and shall lay copies of each statement and of his report before each House of Parliament.

(4)In this paragraph, “financial year” means the period beginning with the date on which the Authority is established and ending with the next following 31st of March, and each successive period of twelve months.

Documents

21The application of the seal of the Authority shall be authenticated by the signature—

(a)of the chairman or some other person authorised either generally or specially by the Authority to act for that purpose, and

(b)of one other member.

22Any document purporting to be an instrument made or issued by or on behalf of the Authority and to be duly executed by a person authorised by the Authority in that behalf, shall be received in evidence and be treated, without further proof, as being so made or issued unless the contrary is shown.