School Inspections Act 1996

3(1)Every inspection shall be conducted by a registered inspector with the assistance of a team (an “inspection team”) consisting of persons who are fit and proper persons for carrying out the inspection.

(2)It shall be the duty of the registered inspector to ensure that—

(a)at least one member of the inspection team is a person—

(i)without personal experience in the management of any school or the provision of education in any school (otherwise than as a governor or in any other voluntary capacity); and

(ii)whose primary function on the team is not that of providing financial or business expertise; and

(b)no member of the inspection team falls within a category of person prescribed for the purposes of this sub-paragraph.

(3)Otherwise, the composition of the inspection team shall be determined by the registered inspector, subject to his complying with any condition imposed under section 7(5)(c).

(4)Any experience of a kind mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(a) which it is reasonable to regard as insignificant, having regard to the purposes of sub-paragraph (2), may be ignored by the registered inspector.

(5)It shall be the duty of the registered inspector to ensure that no person takes any part in an inspection if he has, or has at any time had, any connection with—

(a)the school in question,

(b)any person who is employed at the school,

(c)any person who is a member of the school’s governing body, or

(d)the proprietor of the school,

of a kind which might reasonably be taken to raise doubts about his ability to act impartially in relation to that school.