What schools think about their local authority

The Audit Commission has released their annual survey on what schools think about the local authority's (LA) services for children and young people.

Key points:
- Overall schools have given a good rating and this is an improvement on the previous year.
- The most improved services are around child protection and school improvement support, for the second year running.
- The weakest area was in provision for children with mental health needs, where 40% of respondents reported this as below satisfactory. Again this is similar to the 2006 survey results.
- The biggest improvements between the 2006-07 survey are the effectiveness of the LA to work with other departments and other agencies to deliver the Every Child Matters outcomes and the effectiveness of the schools meal service.
- There is a wide variation in the ratings different LAs recieved.