I was pleased to meet recently with Michael Sheridan, the new Regional Director of OFSTED for the East Midlands and the East of England. We spoke about improving opportunities and life chances for children across the constituency, by trying to ensure that our education system is rigorous and effective, so that local young people can get the best possible start in life. It was very useful to understand more about how standards are monitored and plans for forthcoming work to help advance further improvement locally.