§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what measures her Department has taken to ensure that the Office for Standards in Education report of the inspection on 5 and 6 February 1997 of Bradfield House school, Cullompton has been circulated to those listed in section 20 (3) of the School Inspections Act 1996; [18483]
(2) pursuant to her answer of 19 February, Official Report, columns 564–65, on Bradfield House school, Cullompton what action she intends to take following the report of the Ofsted visit of February 1997 on the school; and if she will make a statement. [18506]
§ Mr. Robin SquireI understand that the school received Ofsted's report on Bradfield House on 26 February 1997. The report states that Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools is of the opinion that the school requires special measures since it is failing to give pupils an acceptable standard of education.
The school must now circulate the report to all parents and placing authorities in accordance with section 20 of the School Inspections Act 1996. The school is also required, by section 21 of the Act, to prepare and submit to HMCI and the Secretary of State by Monday 19 May an action plan for the recovery of the school. Officials wrote to the school on 3 March warning it that, unless confirmation is received by 7 March that it will comply 632W with both these statutory requirements, the matter will be passed to the Treasury Solicitor for legal action to secure compliance.
The school verbally indicated on 4 March that it intends to circulate the report.
The Secretary of State also has under consideration the withdrawal of the school's approval under section 347(1) of the Education Act 1996. Her decision whether to take such action is separate from her consideration of the action plan but, in making her decision, she will have regard to all relevant factors, including the adequacy of the action plan.