Written question asked by Boris Johnson (Conservative) on Thursday, 7 February 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 February 2008. It was answered by Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 February 2008 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Schools: Standards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) under what circumstances an executive board will take over the management of a failing school, as outlined by the Prime Minister in his speech of 31 October 2007;

Answer: The Prime Minister's speech indicated that the use of interim executive boards (IEBs) may be one of several measures to help raise standards in low attaining secondary schools.Local authorities have existing legal powers to apply to the Secretary of State for permission to replace the governing body of a school with an IEB when, after an Ofsted judgment, a school is in special measures, or requires significant improvement. The power may also be used when a school has received a valid Warning Notice under section 60 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006,The Secretary of State also has reserve powers to replace the governing body of a school with an IEB when a school is in special measures or requires significant improvement.The IEB is the governing body of the school for the time it is in office. It has all the powers and responsibilities of a governing body. The IEB's main functions are to secure a sound basis for future improvement in the school and promote high standards of educational achievement.Members of an IEB are chosen on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate authority, that is, the local authority or the Secretary of State, depending on the origin of the intervention.Since the introduction of the policy in 2002, IEBs have proved to be an effective way of improving the leadership of failing schools.

Secondary information