#2026/528UK: Amendments to Rules on Establishing and Closing Schools in England
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This regulation updates the rules for creating and closing schools in England. It amends the 2013 school organisation regulations, including definitions for mainstream schools, special schools, alternative provision schools, and notices used in the process. The changes affect local authorities, school proposers, academy trusts, and education bodies involved in setting up or discontinuing schools. One practical change is that the minimum interval for submitting proposals after a notice is extended from four to six weeks, giving parties more time to prepare applications.
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Key Changes
- Updates definitions for mainstream schools, special schools, alternative provision schools, and notices
- Reframes the new-school proposal process around notices rather than competition notices
- Extends the minimum proposal submission interval from four weeks to six weeks
Obligations
What this law requires
For school establishment proposals made pursuant to a notice under section 7 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, the notice must specify a submission date that is at least six weeks after the notice is issued or published, replacing the previous four-week interval.
Entities applying the School Organisation (Establishment and Discontinuance of Schools) Regulations 2013 must use the amended definitions of alternative provision school, mainstream school, notice, and special school when handling establishment or discontinuance processes in England.