
2020 No. 1328 (W. 294)
Education, Wales
The Federation of Maintained Schools (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
Made 20 November 2020
Laid before Senedd Cymru 23 November 2020
Coming into force 18 December 2020
The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 19(3) and (9) and 210(7) of the Education Act 2002, and now vested in them make the following Regulations:
Title and commencement
1 
The title of these Regulations is the Federation of Maintained Schools (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 and they come into force on 18 December 2020.
Interpretation
2 
In these Regulations, “remote access” means access to a meeting to enable those who are not all present together at the same place to attend and participate simultaneously by electronic means, including by live audio and live video link.
Amendments to the Federation of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2014
3 

(1) The Federation of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2014 are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 57, after paragraph (1) insert—“
(1A) The governing body may decide to hold a meeting by remote access provided that the following conditions are met—
(a) the participants will be able to fully make representations or discharge their functions (as the case may be);
(b) the participants agree to the meeting being held using remote access;
(c) each participant has access to the electronic means to allow them to hear and be heard and (where using a live video link) see and be seen, throughout the meeting; and
(d) the meeting is capable of being held fairly and transparently.”
(3) In regulation 59—
(a) in paragraph (2), for “immediately before the entry recording the minutes of that meeting in the book or pages used for that purpose” substitute “in the minutes of that meeting”;
(b) after paragraph (3) insert—“
(4) The minutes and agenda drawn up for the purposes of this regulation may be kept in electronic form and where that is the case the minutes may be signed electronically.”
(4) In regulation 72, after paragraph (3) insert—“
(3A) Committee meetings may be held by remote access provided that the following conditions are met—
(a) the participants will be able to fully make representations or discharge their functions (as the case may be);
(b) the participants agree to the meeting being held using remote access;
(c) each participant has access to the electronic means to allow them to hear and be heard and (where using a live video link) see and be seen, throughout the meeting; and
(d) the meeting is capable of being held fairly and transparently.”
(5) In regulation 73, after paragraph (2) insert—“
(3) The minutes and agenda drawn up for the purposes of this regulation may be kept in electronic form and where that is the case the minutes may be signed electronically.”
(6) In Schedule 7—
(a) omit paragraph 4 (mental disorder);
(b) in paragraph 7(b), for “a disqualification order under Part 2 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1989” substitute “a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002”.
Kirsty Williams
Minister for Education, one of the Welsh Ministers
20 November 2020