Legislation prohibiting donations to schools

Question

I believe that there is legislation that prohibits a PC from making a donation to a school, but I cannot find it. Any suggestions would be grtaefully received.

Answer 1

I'm not aware of a specific prohibition, nor a specific provision, in which case it would be possible to make a donation under Section 137, subject to the usual restrictions. Section 111 could not be used, as education is not a function of a parish council. As any individual may make a donation to a school, the same freedom would apply to a PC with the General Power in the absence of a specific prohibition.

Answer 2

Please define “school” since there is more to it than might immediately be considered.
Is it a LA school, a private (fee paying) school registered or not registered as a charity, or an academy / multi academy trust?

It matters because the terms of incorporation need to be understood prior to considering a donation.
Fee paying schools and academy / multi academy trusts may be registered business entities so ‘donations’ can become inappropriate
A potential viable alternative could be consideration of a donation to a PTA as a non salaried voluntary organisation which can open up s137 eligibility but you still have the question of student residential eligibility where a school catchment area encompasses more than 1 town/ parish boundary.
It is highly unlikely you will find a single overarching eligibility reference to hang your justification case upon - you need to be much more specific about the reason and rationale for the donation.