§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to review the progress of the Education Reform Act in improving the standards of education delivered.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe objective of the Education Reform Act, particularly chapter 1, is to raise standards in schools so that pupils are better fitted to meet the demands of adult life and work. Her Majesty's inspectorate and local education authority inspectors and advisers have already begun to monitor the quality of teaching and learning within the new statutory framework. In due course, as the national curriculum assessment arrangements become established, it will also be possible to monitor trends in the results achieved by pupils at each stage.