HC Deb 09 May 1996 vol 277 cc220-1W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she next proposes to use her powers under section 220 of the Education Act 1993. [28958]

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

I am today launching consultation on a proposal to transfer Langham school, Haringey, to the control of an education association.

After an inspection in November 1994, Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools decided that this 900-pupil secondary school in Tottenham was failing to provide and acceptable standard of education to its pupils. The school's governors and Haringey local education authority prepared an action plan for the school's recovery. However, subsequent monitoring visits by Her Majesty's inspectors have found very limited progress at the school. The most recent visit in March recorded that GCSE entries and results declined between 1994 and 1995. The expectations of teachers and the achievements of pupils remain low. The standard of teaching has not improved. Indeed, while the 1994 Ofsted report found that "the majority of the teaching is generally satisfactory", the March 1996 Ofsted report, based on a smaller but still significant sample of lessons, found that "the quality of teaching was satisfactory in less than half the lessons".

I have considered carefully the findings of Ofsted. I have also read carefully a joint response to Ofsted's findings submitted by the school's governors and Haringey LEA. In their response they point to a fall in exclusions and to improvements in behaviour but they accept the findings of Ofsted on the quality of teaching and pupils' achievements.

Having considered all the circumstances of the school, I now propose to place Langham school under the control of an education association. However, before taking a decision on this, I am inviting comments from all interested parties by 14 June 1996.

If the school is transferred to an education association, I have it in mind to place it under the control of the North East London Education Association, which was previously responsible for Hackney Downs school. I am therefore consulting the NELEA on this proposal on a contingency basis.

Although Langham school presents serious challenges, I very much hope that the action that I am proposing will result in its improvement to the point where it offers a good education to all its pupils.