Legislation – Education and Skills Act 2008
Changes to legislation:
Education and Skills Act 2008, Section 143 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 30 March 2026. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.![]()
Changes to Legislation
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Part 4Regulation and inspection of independent educational provision in England
Chapter 2Schools providing for special educational needs
Non-maintained special schools in England
143Right of sixth-form pupils to opt out of religious worship
(1)
Section 342 of the Education Act 1996 is amended as follows.
(2)
“(5A)
Regulations shall make provision for securing that, so far as practicable, every pupil attending a school in England that is approved under this section—
(a)
receives religious education unless withdrawn from receiving such education in accordance with the wishes of the pupil’s parent, and
(b)
attends religious worship unless withdrawn from attendance at such worship—
(i)
in the case of a sixth-form pupil, in accordance with the pupil’s own wishes, and
(ii)
in any other case, in accordance with the wishes of the pupil’s parent.
(5B)
In subsection (5A)
“a sixth-form pupil” means a pupil who—(a)
has ceased to be of compulsory school age, and
(b)
is receiving education suitable to the requirements of pupils over compulsory school age.”
(3)
In subsection (6) for “special school” substitute “
.
school in Wales that is
”