§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many independent or private schools have been inspected by Her Majesty's inspectorate or the Office of Standards in Education in the last three years; and if he will list them.
292W
§ Mr. ForthThe new Government Department, the Office for Standards in Education, was created on 1 September 1992. All inspections carried out by HMI or reports published since that date are a matter for OFSTED. I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.
Prior to September 1992, when HMI were members of this Department, they undertook a variety of types of inspection visit to schools. Not all of these inspections were planned to lead to published reports. A list of the independent schools which received an inspection visit between 1 January 1991 and 31 August 1992 has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many grant-maintained schools have been inspected by Her Majesty's inspectorate or OFSTED in the last three years; and if he will list them.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe new Government Department, the Office for Standards in Education, was created on 1 September 1992. All inspections carried out by HMI or reports published since that date are a matter for OFSTED. I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.
Prior to September 1992, school inspections were carried out by HMI who were members of this Department. Up to July 1992, none of the visits to grant-maintained schools was a formal inspection intended to lead to a published report. Under the new independent inspection arrangements introduced from September 1993, schools maintained wholly or mainly from public funds, including grant-maintained schools, will be inspected every four years by registered inspectors with published reports and action plans. I will write to the hon. Member in regards to the information requested about HMI inspections before September 1992.