RICHMOND's education authority will have to undergo an in-depth three-week Ofsted inspection this September, to see if the department has improved since last year's damning report.

Tory Cllr Geoffrey Samuel expressed surprise that the reinspection will last as long as three weeks. He said this was a reflection of the government's dissatisfaction with the department.

He said: "Most reinspections last for just a few days. This is a full three weeks. It is an indication of Ofsted's depth of dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democrat Council that inspectors are undertaking another full inspection. We have many excellent schools in our borough. It is deplorable that they are let down by such a poor Education Department."

Ofsted however confirmed that three weeks is the normal time taken for a reinspection.

An Ofsted spokesman said: "All of our organisational, LEA inspections last for three weeks. There is no sense in saying that this re-inspection will last just a few days. Ofsted is starting the second cycle now, having finished the first cycle when we inspected Bournemouth LEA earlier this year. All LEAs will be now be inspected second time around and Richmond upon Thames is one of them.''

A Richmond upon Thames Council spokesman said: "It is always a three week programme, one week with the LEA, one with the schools and the final week writing up the reports. So three weeks is correct. This is the norm.