The Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills Order 2026
This Statutory Instrument, made by His Majesty in Council on March 10, 2026, officially appoints the individuals listed in the Schedule as His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills, taking legal effect on March 11, 2026, under the powers granted by the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Arguments For
Provides necessary staffing for the inspection body responsible for oversight of education and children's services in England, ensuring continued regulatory function.
Formalizes the legal status of the appointed individuals, granting them the authority required to carry out their statutory duties under the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Establishes a clear commencement date, ensuring a smooth and legally compliant transition for these appointments into public service.
Arguments Against
The document itself contains no substantive policy debate or measurable criteria, making arguments against its specific provisions negligible, as it serves a purely administrative function.
Implementation relies entirely on the existing legal framework (Education and Inspections Act 2006); any concerns about the structure or scope of inspection powers stem from that primary legislation, not this appointment order.
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2026 No. 269
EDUCATION, ENGLAND CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS, ENGLAND
The Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills Order 2026
Made - - - -
10th March 2026
Coming into force - -
11th March 2026
This document is a Statutory Instrument from 2026, numbered 269, concerning Education and Children and Young Persons matters in England.
It is formally titled 'The Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills Order 2026,' and it was made on March 10, 2026, coming into legal force the following day, March 11, 2026.
At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 10th day of March 2026
Present, The King's Most Excellent Majesty in Council
His Majesty, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 114(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006( 1 ), is pleased, by and with the advice of His Privy Council, to order as follows:
The Order was approved by The King in Council at Buckingham Palace on March 10, 2026.
The legislative authority for this Order comes directly from Section 114(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
The King, following advice from the Privy Council, officially makes the following provisions.
Citation and commencement
- This Order may be cited as the Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills Order 2026 and comes into force on 11th March 2026.
Article 1 establishes the official short title of the instrument as the 'Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills Order 2026.' It confirms that the Order became legally effective on March 11, 2026.
Appointment of His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills
- The persons named in the Schedule to this Order are appointed as His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills.
Article 2 enacts the primary purpose of the Instrument, which is the official appointment of specific individuals.
These individuals are formally designated as His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills, and their names are detailed in the accompanying Schedule.
Richard Tilbrook Clerk of the Privy Council
This section records the name of Richard Tilbrook, who holds the formal administrative position of Clerk of the Privy Council, authenticating the execution of the Order.
SCHEDULE
The persons appointed as His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills on 11th March 2026
Ruth Baldwin
Lorraine Margaret Bamforth
Andrew Charles Beattie
Elizabeth Jane Bennett
Amy Blackburn
Samantha Leslie Carnegie
Mark Lane Carter-Tufnell
Lisa Bridget Corrigan
Elliot Costas-Walker
Gemma Louise Dixon
Martin Elliot Dyer
Katherine Jane Fallan
Christopher John Fielding
Anneka May Fisher
Helen Mhairi Grace Fowler
Helen Roberta Rose Fry
Lorraine Greco
Karen Lindsay Hambleton
Nicholas James Edward Hitchen
Laura Anne Hopley
Neil Adrian Johnson
Duncan Kamya
Usman Kamruddin Kothia
Emily Ann Leonard
Ross Christopher Marks
Vanessa Louise Mason
Claire Louise Medhurst
Jody Louise Murphy
Ulric Devere Neblett-Leigh
Kathryn Pym
Lyndsey May Reed
Piers Saunders
Tess Madeleine Sharman
Yvette Stanley
Sarah Jane Stevens
David Kenneth Stevenson
Article 2
Status: item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
Thomas Geoffrey Theobold Nichola Jane Tomkow Michael Joseph Wardle Sarah Louise Wilson
The Schedule provides the comprehensive list of names of the individuals who are officially appointed to the role of His Majesty's Inspector starting from March 11, 2026.
The list includes thirty-eight names, ranging from Ruth Baldwin to Sarah Louise Wilson.
The note indicates that this entry references Article 2, which enacts these appointments.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order appoints the persons named in the Schedule as His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills.
The Explanatory Note clarifies that the sole function of the legal text is to formally appoint the people listed in the Schedule to the position of His Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills.
This note confirms it does not hold legislative force itself.