Islington's Education has improved ? It's official (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Islington's Education has improved ? It's official

April 5, 2001 12:00 AM

The education inspectorate, Ofsted, has given a glowing report to Islington's education service, saying the new partnership between the Lib Dem council and an educational consultancy has "turned the tide". "[A] sense of purpose and optimism has been instilled," said the Ofsted report. The task facing the authority had been "a formidable one" but, "to a remarkable extent", it had been successfully accomplished. Islington Education Chair, Cllr James Kempton, said: "I am confident that we have made a break with the past and that we are building the confidence of parents and schools in our education service. Ofsted clearly supports this view." Islington has a chequered history when it comes to education. In 1999 the education service in what was then Labour-run Islington was given one of the most critical reports Ofsted had issued. . The Government responded by stating that borough's services for schools to be placed in the hands of private contractors - despite the misgivings of some head teachers and the then opposition Lib Dem Councillors. The following November, CEA was named as the preferred bidder for the seven-year contract at 11.5m a year. The Liberal Democrats gained control of the council in January 2000 - which meant the contract was one of the first things they had to do - however, they did manage to negotatiate some last minute changes to the contact, that mean there was more democratic control and that councillors were to be part of the solution too. That joint working has seemed to have paid off.