Education Act 2002
title: "Education Act 2002" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["united-kingdom-education-acts", "united-kingdom-acts-of-parliament-2002", "2002-in-education", "july-2002-in-the-united-kingdom"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Act_2002" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox UK legislation"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| short_title | Education Act 2002 |
| type | Act |
| parliament | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| long_title | An Act to make provision about education, training and childcare. |
| year | 2002 |
| citation | 2002 c. 32 |
| royal_assent | 24 July 2002 |
| status | current |
| original_text | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/enacted |
| use_new_UK-LEG | yes |
| :: |
| short_title = Education Act 2002 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | long_title = An Act to make provision about education, training and childcare. | year = 2002 | citation = 2002 c. 32 | introduced_commons = | introduced_lords = | territorial_extent = | royal_assent = 24 July 2002 | commencement = | expiry_date = | repeal_date = | amends = | replaces = | amendments = | repealing_legislation = | related_legislation = | status = current | legislation_history = | theyworkforyou = | millbankhansard = | original_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/enacted | revised_text = | use_new_UK-LEG = yes | UK-LEG_title = | collapsed =
The Education Act 2002 (c. 32) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave schools greater autonomy to implement experimental teaching methods.
Main provisions
The act significantly amended legislation relating to academies, publicly funded schools operating outside of local government control and with a significant degree of autonomy areas such as wages and digressing from the national curriculum. Academies were originally set up under the Learning and Skills Act 2000 under the name "city academies", and were renamed to "academies" by this act.
Schools which have innovative ideas to improve education, but are prevented by an existing law from implementing them, will be able to apply for exemption from that law.
Schools which demonstrate a high standard of teaching will be given exemption national controls such as the national curriculum, agreements on teachers' pay and conditions and the way the scheduling of the school day and terms.
Schools designating or re-designating as specialist schools could now gain specialisms in Business and Enterprise, Engineering, Mathematics and Computing and Science.
The act imposes various minimum standards for private schools in areas such as health and safety and space requirements.
References
References
- (2002-09-17). "Main provisions of the Education Act 2002". [[TeacherNet]].
- (2002-12-19). "School shakes up the timetable". [[BBC News]].
- (2002-11-18). "Clarke gives schools freedom to experiment". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
- "Education in England: a history - Chapter 17".
- (2001). "Schools Achieving Success". [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom).
- Armitstead}}{{dead link, Louise. (2005-03-20). "Top girls' school put to flight by safety rules". [[The Times]].
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