§ Mr. RichardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is yet in a position to announce the appointment of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for Wales, the timetable for the establishment of his office and the arrangements for the inspection of schools by registered inspectors.
§ Mr. David HuntI have given detailed consideration to all the issues and, most importantly, those of particular766W relevance to Wales. This includes the need to establish a body of inspectors in Wales able to inspect the significant number of schools which teach entirely or partly through the medium of Welsh and whether all schools have Welsh included in the national curriculum, as well as having features in the curriculum reflecting Welsh tradition and culture.
I am delighted to announce that, on my recommendation, Her Majesty the Queen by Order in Council has appointed Mr. Roy L. James as Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales. Mr. James's appointment will be initially for three years.
I do not want to delay implementation of the important objectives of our charter for parents in Wales and I have concluded that the office of HMCI Wales should commence in September 1992. The arrangements for inspections of secondary schools will start in September 1993 and in primary and special schools the following September.
I have decided that schools in Wales should be inspected by registered inspectors every five years. This will mean a much more regular inspection with a published report than is the practice at present. With the time that will be needed to effect the inspection, the issue of an action plan and the necessary follow-up action, I believe that the period between inspections on a five-year cycle is reasonable, bearing in mind also the financial implications for local authorities of the new arrangements. It will provide the parents of most children with a detailed report during their child's time at primary or secondary school. Nevertheless, the frequency of inspections will be kept under review.