needs to be in policing policies and ensuring good practice. LEAs have years of experience of doing just that. The Department of Education doesn't. Whitehall tends to work by diktat rather than by informed local discussion and debate. Today's new item shows, yet again, why local democracy is critical to a school system. Nobody wants people in LEAs determining an individual school's management system or an individual schools larding philosophy. But the accountability of schools, the debate over how we best raise standards locally and yet the occasional application of muscle should be done locally. LEAs have shown over recent years that they are good at coping with change, both dramatic change and more gradual change. If government -- and Sir Michael -- really wants to make a difference here they should tart by recognising what can be done at a local level. As with all policy, governance by prejudice is probably not a good starting point. It is time for the government to look again at the creative and constructive role that can be played by local government. And they need to make the resources available for that to happen. Otherwise the telling observations of Sir Michael will simply fall on deaf ears.