Clause 51 - Power of LEA to inspect maintained school for specific purpose
Education Bill [Lords]
11:00 am
Mr Stephen Twigg (Minister of State (School Standards), Department for Education and Skills; Enfield, Southgate, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman spoke in support of the clause. The clause is important. We do not anticipate the power being used by LEAs to conduct routine school inspections on standards. That is not their role; it is Ofsted’s. However, he is absolutely right to remind the Committee that LEAs have a number of important roles. In some ways, because of the agenda in “Every Child Matters”, it is an increasingly important role on questions of child protection, the inclusion of children and on some of the behavioural issues to which he referred. The clause ensures that the authority has the power to go to a school and to exercise its functions. I take the opportunity to reaffirm the important role that LEAs have to play.