EDUCATION ACT

KEY BENEFITS

• Establishment of a New Relationship with Schools (NRwS), which aims to help schools raise standards, with clearer priorities and fewer bureaucratic burdens. The Act implements a legislative framework for its delivery
• Promotion of greater autonomy and diversity in the education system, and of developing the enhanced strategic role for Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
• Raising school standards by:
• Reforming the inspection system for co-ordinated light-touch, more regular inspections of schools and early years providers, in line with the Department's Five Year Strategy and Every Child Matters;
• Removing bureaucratic burdens on schools by removing the requirement for all schools to hold an annual meeting with parents and to produce a governors' annual report;
• Creating a single database of information on the School Workforce and thus removing duplicative requirements on schools and LEAs to provide a range of data for statistical purposes;
• Improving the flow of information to parents by introducing a new, less burdensome School Profile document;
• Establishing three-year ring-fenced budgets for schools which may be provided on an academic-year rather than a financial-year basis;
• Reforming the Teacher Training Agency to reflect its role in training and developing staff across the school workforce. 

IMPLEMENTATION

• Most of the provisions will take effect from September 2005.

TERRITORIAL EXTENT

• The Act applies to England and Wales only
• The Act provides the National Assembly for Wales with the legislative framework and flexibility to pursue its ambitions for education in Wales.
   

COMMENTS

info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk telephone number 0870 000 2288.