Education and Skills Bill
January 2008
The Education and Skills Bill has now been published and is before Parliament. It is thought that the Bill will receive Royal Assent by the summer with the provisions becoming effective from Autumn 2009.
The provisions of the Bill affecting independent schools are as follows:
We will keep you updated on the progress of the Bill.
DCSF Education and Skills Bill homepage: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/educationandskills/
The provisions of the Bill affecting independent schools are as follows:
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The addition of another measure against which independent schools will be assessed. In addition to the existing criteria listed in the Independent School Standards there will be a requirement to assess “the quality of the leadership in and management of independent schools”. This provision has been included in response to a small number of schools that have failed to meet the Independent School Standards on a consistent basis. Schools will now have to either ensure that the prescribed standards can be consistently met through strengthening their management structures and systems or else face closure. | |
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The transfer of the responsibility for registration, approval and regulation of independent schools to Ofsted from DCSF. Schools affiliated to either the Independent Schools Council or the Focus Learning Trust will continue to be inspected by the Independent Schools Inspector or the School inspection Service respectively, both of which are monitored by Ofsted. The Government’s rationale is that “concentrating registration, approval and regulation in one organisation will help speed up the process for independent schools seeking registration (approximately 100 a year) ... [and such schools] will benefit from the efficiency gains of only one body overseeing their registration/regulation and inspection”. An alternative view held by many within the sector is that it is another small step by which the independence of independent schools is being undermined. |
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Provision for regulations to be made relating to fees for inspections and frequency of inspections. It is intended that inspections will be undertaken every 3 years rather than 6 as at present and payments will be able to be paid on an annual basis. It is proposed that a full inspection will be undertaken every 6 years with a lighter touch inspection carried out at the 3 year point (with the lighter touch regulation having a correspondingly lower fee). Schools would become eligible for the lighter touch 3 year inspection if they met 90% or more of the regulatory standards overall, with strong performance on the standards relating to quality of education and safeguarding pupils. It is also proposed that schools that require a follow up inspection will have to pay the full fee for that inspection. |
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Provision for all Ofsted reports to be publicised. |
We will keep you updated on the progress of the Bill.
DCSF Education and Skills Bill homepage: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/educationandskills/
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