EDUCATION in the county run by the new chief inspector of schools has received mixed reviews from the Office for Standards in Education.
A report published this week says that Bedfordshire, where David Bell is currently chief executive, is improving but still has work to do. Mr Bell takes over as head of OFSTED at the end of next month.
Inspectors said the authority had addressed many weaknesses identified in the last report. But they said that the improvement “does not amount to a step change”.
In true Blairite style Bedfordshire had “devoted much time and energy to the formation of a ground-breaking partnership with the private sector”. This energy, however, had taken precedence over detailed improvement work and had not led to big changes.
Remaining weaknesses included the special educational needs strategy and low standards in maths at key stage 2. The local education authority had forged strong relationships with schools, but had “not yet had sufficient impact on pupil attainment”.
Commenting on the report, Mr Bell dropped a hint that under his regime links between schools and authorities would be crucial.
He said: “I am particularly pleased that the county council’s excellent relationships with schools have been highlighted as a key strength as this is at the heart of the work of a modern LEA.”
The inspectors concluded that Bedfordshire was “a very sound authority, well placed to move forward rapidly”.
Reports on two other authorities, Sheffield and Tameside, said that both had made improvements since their last inspection.
Sheffield was now “a well-run LEA”, while in Tameside, “a culture of continuous improvement permeates the work of the council”.
Early reports also suggest that inspectors have given Birmingham’s education authority a glowing write-up.
OFSTED’s report, to be published on April 9, describes education in the city as among the best in the country. Birmingham’s last report, in 1998, sparked a public clash between then chief inspector Chris Woodhead and the city’s education chief Tim Brighouse.
* Local authorities deemed to be “satisfactory” are anything but, said Mike Tomlinson, the outgoing chief inspector of schools. Mr Tomlinson told a Social Market Foundation seminar in London that only authorities rated as good or above (about a third) made any impact on school improvement.
He said that in any case, council’s efforts tended to be swamped by an area’s socio-economic conditions. He added that “the jury remains out” on whether government interventions had worked.
