The School Governance (Federations) (England) Regulations 2007

5.  For regulation 31, substitute—

“31.—(1) In this regulation, where reference is made to the local education authority and the federation is to include schools maintained by different local education authorities, the reference is to be taken as a reference to whichever of those local education authorities the governing bodies of the schools agree between them should make the instrument of government for the federation.

(2) The governing bodies of the schools which are to form the federation must jointly prepare a draft instrument of government and submit it to the local education authority.

(3) Where the federation will have foundation governors, the governing bodies of the proposed federation must not submit the draft to the local education authority unless it has been approved in respect of each foundation or voluntary school by—

(a)that school’s foundation governors;

(b)the trustees of any trust relating to such a school;

(c)in the case of a Church of England or Roman Catholic Church school, the appropriate diocesan authority; and

(d)in the case of any other school designated under section 69(3) of SSFA 1998 as having a religious character, the appropriate religious body.

(4) If—

(a)the local education authority are content that the draft complies with all the applicable statutory provisions, or

(b)there is agreement between the local education authority, the governing bodies and (where the federation will have foundation governors) the persons mentioned in paragraph (3) that the draft should be revised to any extent, and the revised draft complies with all the applicable statutory provisions,

the instrument of government must be made by the local education authority in the form of the draft or (as the case may be) the revised draft.

(5) If neither of sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph (4) applies in the case of a federation which will not have foundation governors, the local education authority must—

(a)inform the governing body of the federation of the reasons why they are not content with the draft instrument of government, and

(b)give the governing body of the federation a reasonable opportunity to reach agreement with them on revising the draft,

and the instrument of government must be made by the local education authority either in the form of a revised draft agreed between them and the governing body of the federation or (in the absence of such agreement) in such form as they think fit having regard, in particular, to the category of school to which the school belongs.”.