§ The Earl of Listowelasked Her Majesty's Government:
How they intend to ensure that their proposed school improvement partners have expertise relevant to the particular educational needs of children in local authority care. [HL442]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin)School improvement partners (SIPs) will be selected for their ability to analyse school performance and to help schools to improve. Within the framework ofEvery Child Matters they will help schools map out their future priorities for improvement, looking particularly at the attainment and progress of groups of pupils, including vulnerable pupils, such as children in local authority care. We expect SIPs to be serving and recent head teachers or other professionals with relevant experience who have met accreditation standards. Quality assurance of SIPs will be rigorous and they will be accredited only after they have successfully completed their training.