Local education authorities in England and Wales

Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school boards to existing local councils.

There have been periodic changes to the types of councils defined as local education authorities. Initially, they were the councils of counties and county boroughs. From 1974 the local education authorities were the county councils in non-metropolitan areas and the district councils in metropolitan areas. In Greater London, the ad hoc Inner London Education Authority existed from 1965 to 1990. Outer London borough councils have been LEAs since 1965 and inner London borough councils since 1990. Unitary authorities created since 1995 have all been LEAs.

The functions of LEAs have varied over time as council responsibilities for local education have changed. On 1 April 2009, their powers were transferred to directors of children's services. The Children Act 2004 required every London borough, metropolitan district, top-tier local authority (county) or UA in England to appoint a director of children's services. The councils took over the powers and responsibilities of the school boards and technical instruction committees in their area.

Municipal boroughs with a population of 10,000 and urban districts with a population of 20,000 were to be local education authorities in their areas for elementary education only.

In 1904 the London County Council became a local education authority, with the abolition of the London School Board. The metropolitan boroughs within London were not education authorities, although they were given the power to decide on the site for new schools in their areas, and provided the majority of members on boards of management.

The LEAs' role was further expanded with the introduction of school meals in 1906 and medical inspection in 1907. The Local Government Act 1958 permitted any county district to apply for excepted district status.

In 1965 the London County Council, Middlesex County Council and the councils of the county boroughs of Croydon, East Ham and West Ham were replaced by the Greater London Council. The twenty outer London boroughs became local education authorities, while a new Inner London Education Authority, consisting of the members of the GLC elected for the twelve inner London boroughs covering the former County of London was created.

In 1974 local government outside London was completely reorganised. In the new metropolitan counties of England and Wales, metropolitan boroughs became LEAs. In the non-metropolitan counties the county councils were the education authorities.

In 1986, with the abolition of the Greater London Council, the Inner London Education Authority became directly elected. This however only lasted until 1990, when the twelve inner London boroughs assumed responsibility for education.

In 1989, under the Education Reform Act 1988, the LEAs lost responsibility for higher education, with all polytechnics and colleges of higher education becoming independent corporations.

A further wave of local government reorganisation during the 1990s led to the formation of unitary authorities in parts of England and throughout Wales, which became local education authorities.

Redefinition

The Children Act 2004 defined each local education authority as additionally a children's services authority, with responsibility for both functions held by the director of children's services.

Ending

England

The Local Education Authorities and Children's Services Authorities (Integration of Functions) Order 2010 removed all reference to local education authorities and children's services authorities from existing legislation, replacing them with the term 'local authority'. A local authority for the purposes of the Education Act 1996 and the Children Act 2004 was defined as the county council, metropolitan district council, unitary authority, London borough council and the Common Council of the City of London. Schedule 1 of the order inserted in the Education Act 1996 a list of 'education functions' for the relevant local authorities. Despite the term becoming obsolete, 'local education authority' continues to be used to distinguish local authorities with education functions from those without them.

Wales

In Wales the councils of the counties and county boroughs are responsible for education. Since 5 May 2010, the terms local education authority and children's services authority have been repealed and replaced by the single term 'local authority' in both primary and secondary legislation.

Functions

Local education authorities had some responsibility for all state schools in their area.

They were responsible for distribution and monitoring of funding for the schools
They were responsible for co-ordination of admissions, including allocation of the number of places available at each school
They were the direct employers of all staff in community and VC schools
They had a responsibility for the educational achievement of looked-after children, i.e. children in their care
They had attendance and advisory rights in relation to the employment of teachers, and in relation to the dismissal of any staff
They were the owners of school land and premises in community schools.

Until recently, local education authorities were responsible for the funding of students in higher education (for example undergraduate courses and PGCE) whose permanent address is in their area, regardless of the place of study. Based on an assessment of individual circumstances they offer grants or access to student loans through the Student Loans Company.

Education functions

Statutory education functions for local authorities in England were as follows:

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"

! London

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council
Barnet London Borough Council
Bexley London Borough Council
Brent London Borough Council
Bromley London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council
City of London Corporation
Croydon London Borough Council
Ealing London Borough Council
Enfield London Borough Council
Greenwich London Borough Council
Hackney London Borough Council
Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council
Haringey London Borough Council
Harrow London Borough Council
Havering London Borough Council
Hillingdon London Borough Council
Hounslow London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council
Lambeth London Borough Council
Lewisham London Borough Council
Merton London Borough Council
Newham London Borough Council
Redbridge London Borough Council
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council
Southwark London Borough Council
Sutton London Borough Council
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
Waltham Forest London Borough Council
Wandsworth London Borough Council
Westminster City Council

! South West

Bath and North East Somerset Council
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Bristol City Council
Cornwall Council
Devon County Council
Dorset Council (UK)
Gloucestershire County Council
Council of the Isles of Scilly
North Somerset Council
Plymouth City Council
Somerset Council
South Gloucestershire Council
Swindon Borough Council
Torbay Council
Wiltshire Council

! South East

Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Brighton and Hove City Council
Buckinghamshire Council
East Sussex County Council
Hampshire County Council
Isle of Wight Council
Kent County Council
Medway Council
Milton Keynes Borough Council
Oxfordshire County Council
Portsmouth City Council
Reading Borough Council
Slough Borough Council
Southampton City Council
Surrey County Council
West Berkshire Council
West Sussex County Council
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council
Wokingham Borough Council

! East

Bedford Borough Council
Cambridgeshire County Council
Central Bedfordshire Council
Essex County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Luton Borough Council
Norfolk County Council
Peterborough City Council
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Suffolk County Council
Thurrock Borough Council

! West Midlands

Birmingham City Council
Coventry City Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
County of Herefordshire District Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Shropshire Council
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Staffordshire County Council
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Telford and Wrekin Borough Council
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
Warwickshire County Council
Wolverhampton City Council
Worcestershire County Council

! East Midlands

Derby City Council
Derbyshire County Council
Leicester City Council
Leicestershire County Council
Lincolnshire County Council
North Northamptonshire Council
Nottingham City Council
Nottinghamshire County Council
Rutland County Council
West Northamptonshire Council

! colspan="2" | Yorkshire and the Humber

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Hull City Council
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
Leeds City Council
North East Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire Council
North Yorkshire Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Sheffield City Council
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
York City Council

! North West

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Blackpool Borough Council
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cumberland Council
Halton Borough Council
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Lancashire County Council
Liverpool City Council
Manchester City Council
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Salford City Council
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
Warrington Borough Council
Westmorland and Furness Council
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

! North East

Darlington Borough Council
Durham County Council
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Middlesbrough Borough Council
North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council
Northumberland County Council
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Sunderland City Council

! Wales

Isle of Anglesey County Council
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Bridgend County Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council
Cardiff Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Ceredigion County Council
Conwy County Borough Council
Denbighshire County Council
Flintshire County Council
Gwynedd Council
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Monmouthshire County Council
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Newport City Council
Pembrokeshire County Council
Powys County Council
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
City and County of Swansea council
Torfaen County Borough Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Wrexham County Borough Council

References

External links

DfES: The Role of the Local Education Authority in School Education