182.This section enables the Secretary of State, or the NAW, to direct an LEA to involve an external partner in providing advice to the LEA or the governors of a maintained school (or both). The power to direct applies when the LEA in question maintains at least one school which requires special measures or has serious weaknesses: and in addition it appears to the Secretary of State that the LEA has not made or is unlikely to make sufficient progress in eliminating such failings in such a school or schools, or is unlikely to eliminate such failings as may be found in the future in other schools it maintains, or has a disproportionate number of such schools. External partners could be successful schools, successful LEAs, FE or HE institutions, or from the public, voluntary or private sectors.