ABSTRACT
The Education Reform Act has changed the role of local authorities and inspection services as well as that of schools and their governors. The Act and other pronouncements from the Secretary of State and DES suggest that the LEA needs to keep the work of its schools under continuous review, including a review of the management. This must be largely a task for the inspection service, who already maintain an overview of educational establishments, although there will be aspects in which other officers may need to be involved. In some LEAs teams for inspection are now made up of officers and inspectors, with officers looking at such issues as finance and some management issues and inspectors looking at curriculum issues and other aspects of management The difference from past practice is partly that this overview will need to be more systematic so that it covers all establishments over a period.
