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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2012}} {{Infobox UK legislation |short_title = Education Act 1994 |type = Act |parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom |long_title = An Act to make provision about teacher training and related matters; to make provision with respect to the conduct of students’ unions; and for connected purposes. |year = 1994 |citation = 1994 c. 30 |introduced_by = |territorial_extent = {{plainlist| England and Wales (whole Act) Scotland (Part II and Schedule 2)
Northern Ireland (Schedule 2)}} |royal_assent = 21 July 1994 |commencement = 21 September 1994 (except ss. 22(4),22(5) and 22(6))<br />1 April 1995 (ss. 22(4),22(5) and 22(6)) |repeal_date = 1 September 2005 (sections 1-11 & 12-17) |replaces = |primary_legislation = |eu_directives = |amendments = Education Act 1996<br/>Nursery Education and Grant-Maintained Schools Act 1996<br/>Audit Commission Act 1998<br/>School Standards and Framework Act 1998<br/>Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000<br/>Education and Inspections Act 2006<br/>Education and Skills Act 2008<br/>Education Act 2011<br/>Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013<br/>Higher Education and Research Act 2017 |related_legislation = |repealing_legislation= Education Act 2005 (sections 1-11 & 12-17) |status = partially_repealed |original_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/30/pdfs/ukpga_19940030_en.pdf |legislation_history = |use_new_UK-LEG = yes |UK-LEG_title = |revised_text = |theyworkforyou = |millbankhansard = }} The '''Education Act 1994''' (c. 30) is an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom under John Major's government in 1994, which primarily established the Teacher Training Agency and allowed students to opt out of students' unions.
==Part I== {{expand section|date=May 2018}} Part I relates to teacher training and includes the establishment of the Teacher Training Agency.<ref>{{cite web|title=Records of the Teacher Training Agency and Successors|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=361&CATLN=1&accessmethod=5&j=1|publisher=The National Archives|accessdate=24 February 2012}}</ref>
==Part II== Part II of the Education Act gave effect to students' freedom of association by mandating that students must be permitted to opt out of any students' union without being unfairly disadvantaged; this provision replaced an earlier proposal that would have made membership voluntary (i.e. opt-in), which had been seen to have a significant impact on membership of students' unions in Australia and was expected to have a similar impact in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wonkhe.com/blogs/the-1994-education-act-and-students-unions/|title=The 1994 Education Act and students' unions|date= 26 June 2014|work=WONKHE|author=Alex Bols|accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref> This Part also places further restrictions on Students' Unions by requiring that affiliation to external organizations must be voted on at referendum if 5% of the membership requests a referendum and restricts the time a sabbatical officer can serve to two years. It also stipulates that a students' union must be governed democratically and must be accountable for its finances.<ref>{{cite web|title=1994 Education Act|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/30/part/II}}</ref>
There are various other clauses about the finances and external affiliations of students' unions.
Section 22 of the Act requires that "the procedure for allocating resources to groups or clubs should be fair and should be set down in writing and freely accessible to all students". This has generated some controversy because of the way it can be interpreted. Some assert that it requires all university societies that draw on students' union funding to be open to membership by all students, whilst others assert that this does not explicitly prevent a society of a students' union from restricting its membership to those who share the aims and purposes of the society.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/Ukpga_19940030_en_1.htm Text of the 1994 Education Act from HMSO] *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4645844.stm BBC news - Ban for exclusive Christian body]
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Category:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1994 Category:Students' unions in the United Kingdom Category:United Kingdom Education Acts Category:1994 in education Category:History of higher education in the United Kingdom