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The education inspectorate's future is safe but how it works and the role of local authorities with schools are set for changes. Ofsted will survive the cull of quangos despite criticism of its response to the case of Baby Peter and concern over school inspections by education officers. But The MJ understands the future of another quango, the Young People's Learning Agency, is in doubt. A Department for Education source told The MJ ministers will not abolish the inspectorate but will instead move to light touch regulation on education. ‘The department is still ‘wedded' to Ofsted and inspection. It won't be going away. There has to be a level of monitoring of school performance and of children's services.' Ofsted's new inspection regime and the role local education authorities (LEAs) will have as academies take shape will be set out in a White Paper this autumn. The Paper is also expected to resole concerns over the provision of special education needs which are provided to schools by local authorities. Education secretary, Michael Gove, set out his plans this week: ‘We will be tackling bureaucracy at source, stripping out unnecessary obligations placed on hard-pressed teachers and overworked governors (and) simplifying the Ofsted inspection regime.' The clarity was welcomed by the LGA which has been lobbying hard to ensure education becomes locally decided with a role for councils as ‘market-makers'. A spokesman said: ‘We have never called for Ofsted to go but to focus on improvement not naming and shaming. The problem is not bureaucracy from councils; that's coming from the centre. ‘Councils want to drive improvement and champion the choices of parents and children.'

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WHITEHALL

Ofsted 'set to escape' cull of the quangos

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