§ Baroness Davidasked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements there are for independent schools when they first seek registration; and how often on average existing independent schools are inspected. [HL196]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)Independent schools in England which provide full time education for five or more pupils of compulsory school age must register provisionally with the Department for Education and Employment within one month of opening. They are inspected by HMI from OFSTED, by the fire brigade, and by the local authority social services department in the case of a boarding school, to ensure that they meet the statutory requirements for final registration. Thereafter, finally registered schools are inspected by HMI on a five to six year cycle, unless signs of failings necessitate more frequent monitoring. New arrangements will apply from 1999 for regular inspection with published reports for schools which are members of an Independent Schools Council association.
There are some differences in the registration and inspection arrangements for independent schools elsewhere in the United Kingdom.