Commentary on Sections Assessments: primary education Section 7: Assessment requests
28.Subsection (1) provides that the parent of a child who is under school age and who has not commenced attendance at a primary school may make a request to the education authority in whose area the child is resident for an assessment of the need for GMPE. Section 18(1) explains that the term “parent” has the same meaning as in the 1980 Act and so such a request can be made by the guardian of, or any person who has parental responsibilities in relation to, such a child.
29.Subsection (2)(a) states that a parental request under subsection (1) can only be made in relation to one child, who must be specified in the request. However, subsection (2)(b) states that a request under subsection (1) must contain, or be accompanied by, evidence that there is a demand for GMPE from other parents of children resident in that same education authority area and who are in the same year group as the specified child. Subsection (3) provides that a parental request may also contain evidence that there is a demand for GMPE from parents of other children under school age who are resident in the same education authority area but who are in a different year group to the specified child.
30.Subsection (4) provides for the meaning of “year group” to be the group of children under school age who will be in the same yearly stage of education on commencing primary school in the area of the education authority that has received the request.
31.Subsections (5) and (6) state that the Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, make further provision about parental requests under section 7(1), including provision about the form of the request and how it should be made; information to be included in, or accompany, the request; and evidence for the purposes of subsections (2) and (3). These regulations are subject to the negative procedure.