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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