Earls High School : a visit report 13th-23rd September,1988

Abstract

Like all other English schools, 'Earls High School' is in a turmoil, owing to the Education (No 2) Act 1986. As a school it belongs to the Dudley Borough and as such it is directly responsible to the Dudley Local Authority (LEA), which in turn is approved by the Local Council. The LEA, although it has to act within the policy provided by the Department of Education and Science, is an independent body and has real power and authority. Each Borough has its own Chief Education Officer and a number of inspectors. The Chief Education Officer's role is that of an administrator who organizes the manpower and budgeting. Together with his inspectors. the Chief Education Officer goes around the schools within his Borough, whether primary or secondary, to inspect and advise. The Manpower Service Commission provides the LEA with money and technical supervision. On the school level, The Earls High School has its own 'governing body' - the School Authority. The Earls High School of Furnace Lane-Halesowen, West-Midlands, has a school population of approximately 950 students. It caters for the age group 1/16 years. The students, mainly English and Asians, come from middle-class families. The Earls High School is a secondary school and its ethos reflects both the area where the school is situated and its history. It was once a grammar school [...].