Select Committee on Education and Skills Minutes of Evidence


Examination of Witnesses (Questions 900 - 901)

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 2004

MR DAVID MILIBAND MP AND MR IVAN LEWIS MP

  Q900  Chairman: Last point. Strategic area reviews, we see that they are necessary, they actually give a kind of joined-upness to that delivery, but at the same time we have what seems to be a wholly independent Ofsted reviewing colleges, and the two do not seem to match up. We have had evidence why have a strategic area review if at the same time the kind of evaluation of individual institutions does not in some terms key and match in with that. How do you respond to that voice that we have had from other witnesses?

  Mr Lewis: I think we do need to look at this. If we are going to have a new 14-19 phase that we agree on and we are working towards then as well as performance measurement we need to align inspection and we need, as we have said, to align   financial accountability, organisational responsibility, and I do not think inspection and reviews are any different, although I think the inspection of the performance of individual institutions is very different from, say, what kind of configuration of provision do we need in our area to best meet the needs of young people and, indeed, adults in terms of the strategic area reviews. I do not think there is a contradiction necessarily looking across the piece in terms of ensuring in every locality there is the right range of institutions to offer the right dynamic in terms of meeting the needs of post-16 learners whilst at the same time saying "If we are going to do that we need to have a way of assessing the quality and the leadership of the individual institutions that will be contributing towards that area wide provision". I do not think there is a contradiction between the two but I do accept that when Tomlinson reports, the Government responds, we have a route map through, one of the issues we have to address is inspection and area review.

  Q901  Chairman: Thank you very much. David Miliband, you do not want to say anything?

  Mr Miliband: No.

  Chairman: Jolly good. It has been a long session. I realise we have kept you a long time but part of that is a little your responsibility. It has been a very good session. We have learnt a lot and we will see you shortly. Thank you again.





 
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