School inspections

The Office of HM Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales carries out inspections of maintained schools.

In June 1999, the Chief Inspector, Susan Lewis, announced that the office would henceforth be known as Estyn - a Welsh word meaning "extend" or "stretch".

She said the new name more accurately reflected the wider role the organisation had taken on in April - a broad approach encompassing both education and training which is unique in the UK.

Inspections are done on a six-year cycle.

If school inspectors decide that a school is ''failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education'', the local education authority can appoint new governors and withdraw delegated management from the school.

As an alternative, central government can put the school under new management until its performance reaches a satisfactory level.

After further visits from inspectors, the Secretary of State decides whether the school has made sufficient progress. If it has not, the school could be closed. The process takes about two years.

The managers of the Welsh school inspection system have been keen to stress that their approach is based on partnership, and have tried to distance themselves from the sometimes confrontational image of the English Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead.