§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many visits were made to schools by Her Majesty's inspectors last year; in how many cases a formal or an informal report was made to the governors or managers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mark CarlisleIn 1980 Her Majesty's Inspectors visited over 8,500 maintained schools in England for a variety of purposes. At the end of every visit it is customary for HMI to discuss their observations with the head teacher, who in turn is free to convey these to the governing body. Written reports to me are normally also made available in confidence to the local education authority, the head teacher and the governing body concerned, following inspections in single schools, or in groups of schools as part of a survey. In 1980 there were 183 such inspections of maintained schools in England.