Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that governors are disqualified when a school governing body is found guilty of disability discrimination.

Mr Edward Timpson

Regulations set out the circumstances in which a person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a governor at a maintained school. These include bankruptcy, conviction for an offence carrying a sentence of imprisonment, disqualification from being a company director or charity trustee, and persons whose employment is prohibited or restricted.

The Department for Education has issued advice to school governing bodies on their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including in respect of disability.

It is for governing bodies of state-funded schools to comply with any orders of the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) in relation to claims of disability discrimination.