SCHOOLS in County Durham have been chosen to help the Government test a new system of carrying out Ofsted inspections.

Durham County Council is one of several local education authorities in the country piloting a radical new approach to the inspections, which were introduced ten years ago to measure the quality of education they provide.

Schools usually received six to eight weeks' notice of an inspection which involved teams of a dozen or more inspectors visiting over a period of up to two weeks.

The format being piloted in County Durham provides "lighter touch" inspections, with shorter visits by smaller teams. Headteachers will get only two or three days notice of their visits.

Councillor Neil Foster, Durham County Council's cabinet member for education, said the inspections would be less rigorous, would reduce the burden on schools, reduce the stress among staff and be less disruptive.

"They are shorter, sharper inspections, usually lasting only a couple of days and based largely on the schools' self-evaluation," he added.

"This way, the inspection teams will not only measure the quality and standards of education provided by the schools, but how well each school really knows itself."

Two new-style inspections have already been carried out in County Durham.

Durham Johnston School in the city was judged to have made significant improvements on the successful outcome of its last inspection.

Another inspection team found that The Hermitage School in Chester-le-Street was a good school which strived for excellence in all its work.

Durham Education chief inspector David Ford said: "We are delighted to be part of the pilot inspection scheme and that the strengths of these two schools have been so clearly endorsed.''