ABSTRACT
A House of Commons select committee in 1968 and a succession of committees of inquiry and internal departmental reviews upheld the independence of her/his Majesty's Inspectorate and attested to its value within the education system. School inspections varied from a one-day visit by a single inspector to a week-long full inspection of a large school by about 20 inspectors. For a full inspection, the team was led by the reporting inspector, who notified the school only about four weeks in advance, although the period of notice was sometimes shorter and gave very little time to prepare the large amount of documentation which was required by the school. Inspection reports contained no surprises for the school, which had already received the findings orally. During the 1980s there was no standard pattern of inspection and advisory services of Local Education Authorities. Blunkett's letter also emphasised the importance of Ofsted's work in the areas of teacher training and local authority inspection.
