ABSTRACT
All maintained schools are subject to a rigid national testing framework; local authority responsibility for and oversight of education have all but disappeared and power is concentrated in the hands of the Secretary of State for Education. The introduction of academies and free schools has led to a fragmentation of the educational landscape and a transfer of control to the unelected chief executives of academy chains. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, accountability continues to be exercised through local authority and school governance structures. A local education panel or forum could bring together the voices of different key groups to help shape local provision. Professor Richard Hatcher of Birmingham City University sees the need for: a local Education Panel with representatives from schools, parents and the local authority who would develop a long-term strategic plan for education. It is vitally important that key partners and stakeholders are consulted about education policy at national level.
