Two years after receiving a devastating Ofsted report Thurrock Council has effectively been taken out of special measures.
It means a small glimour of light at the end of a long tunnel for the borough's education department, which was plunged into crisis in February 2001 after a number of problems were identified by Government officers.
A period of monitoring followed by the Department for Education and Skills which has now ceased because of recent improvements - although 25 areas have still been identified.
This is the first time since the inspection of councils was started that a local education authority has progressed enough at the first follow-up examination. There will now be the standard three-year wait for the next inspection.
But the borough's education chiefs are not resting on their laurels. Both cabinet member Carl Morris and director Steve Beynon say there is still much to be done.
Mr Morris said: "We had to prioritise. We had to decide where the urgent action was to be targeted and that has been done.
"Now that there is a three-year wait for the next inspection we can concentrate on what is needed for Thurrock's education to improve instead of always looking to the inspectors coming in."
Published Thursday, January 16, 2003
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