Overview of the Act
28.The Act is in five parts:
| PART I | THE LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND |
| PART II | NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR WALES |
| PART III | INSPECTIONS IN ENGLAND |
| PART IV | INSPECTIONS IN WALES |
| PART V | MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL |
Part I - Learning and Skills Council for England
29.This Part establishes the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which will be responsible for the development, planning, funding and management of post-16 education and training. The LSC will act at local level through local councils (the Secretary of State announced on 29 February 2000 that there will be 47) responsible for raising standards and securing provision to match local learning and skills needs.
Part II - National Council for Education and Training for Wales
30.This Part establishes the National Council for Education and Training for Wales (CETW). Most of its duties and powers replicate those of the LSC.
Part III - Inspections in England
31.This Part establishes the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI), which will have responsibility for inspecting education provision for people from the age of 19 and for work-based training provision for all ages. This Part will also extend OFSTED’s remit to inspect provision for 16 to 19 year olds in schools and colleges. It will establish a common inspection framework and make arrangements for joint working in institutions where the inspectorates’ remits overlap.
Part IV - Inspections in Wales
32.This Part extends the remit of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales to inspect all post-16 education and training and renames the office holder as ‘Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Education and Training in Wales’.
Part V - Miscellaneous and General
33.This Part covers various areas, such as:
the dissolution of the Further Education Funding Councils in England and Wales;
transfers of assets, rights and liabilities as part of the transition to the new regime;
the approval of qualifications for public funding purposes;
provision known as ‘individual learning accounts’;
provision related to proposals for the closure of inadequate sixth forms;
provision to enable LEAs to maintain 16 to 19 institutions;
the establishment of city academies;
the Connexions Service for young people and support for young people in Wales;
provision enabling newly qualified school teachers to meet the requirements of induction through teaching in the FE sector;
provision to amend FE and HE corporations’ powers, and to remove obstacles to their collaboration with schools, in respect of secondary education;
changes to the legislation governing the provision of sex education in schools.
