It proposes an alternative in which all sides would hold a joint

It proposes an alternative, in which all sides would hold a joint "case conference" when a headteacher was considering excluding a child. The White Paper will give the Government new powers to send a "hit squad" into LEAs which fail to live up to their new responsibilities.. ``Confrontational'' procedures used to exclude children from school should be replaced by a new approach aimed at compromise rather than conflict, local authorities have told ministers. "They may not be in a fit state to fulfil the Government's expectations," it says.Ministers believe they have put adequate safeguards in place to ensure authorities play their part in the standards drive. Under the proposals, they will gain the right to intervene where schools are struggling by appointing additional local authority governors or, as a last resort, withdrawing budget delegation.The union claims many LEAs have run down their inspector and adviser service to virtually nil or have kept staff but sent them to join Ofsted inspections of schools in other authorities in order to raise revenue. It warns that small unitary authorities, recently created and new to running education, may face particular problems coping with the challenge of monitoring all schools.Other LEAs could well act unreasonably in exercising new powers set out in the White Paper, the head teachers' union says.

In its response to the government's Excellence in Schools White paper, the National Association of Head Teachers yesterday said ministers are proposing to hand local authorities excessive powers over schools in the name of driving up standards. The heads expressed strong reservations over the ability of "a significant number" of LEAs to supervise schools' progress. Under the proposal LEAs will gain a central role, with new duties to approve development plans for schools and new powers to take back some control of those which are failing.Every school will have to work with its authority to agree improvement targets based on its own and others' performance in tests, exams and inspections, and must submit to monitoring of its progress.The head teachers' union insists that LEAs must not be given powers to approve schools' annual plans, and questions whether ministers can be truly confident of the local education authorities' ability to "deliver their part of the bargain". It points to the example of the London borough of Hackney, which accepted intervention by a government-appointed "improvement team" after an inquiry uncovered mismanagement and neglect of schools.While only a tiny minority of authorities are in such crisis, others are also causing concern, according to the union. In a further 13 there was some evidence but not enough for local authorities to discipline a teacher.One reason why reports of cheating are much more widespread than this may be that schools are so nervous about their position on the league table that they accuse others of breaking the rules. Officials who this summer investigated an anonymous letter accusing a Shropshire school of cheating found that it had no foundation.Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that schools must not break the rules but added: "The fact that the Government has seen fit to act indicates the impossibly high stakes attached to the tests."Ms Morris said: "Rigorous tests together with teachers' assessments of pupils are essential in monitoring progress towards our demanding literacy and numeracy targets."We regard the integrity of tests as paramount and it is essential that they are fair - and seen to be fair - to all pupils."But David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "No one in their right mind would object to any reasonable steps by the Government to tighten the administration of next year's tests but there is a danger that the Government is taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.". The government wants local education authorities to act as improvement monitors and make sure schools play their part in the crusade to raise standards.

But head teachers' leaders are not sure LEAs are up to the job Lucy Ward finds schools rejecting town hall interference. In five cases, including that of the head who confessed, there was clear evidence of cheating. They are allowed to do so if they need to make special provision for pupils, for instance translation in maths and science for children who do not speak English.Ministers need to ensure that the tests are rigorous because the Government has staked its reputation on achieving challenging targets based on national test results. Estelle Morris, the education minister, said that she was sure that the overwhelming majority of teachers did not cheat but the Government needed to have absolute confidence in the results.Government exam advisers who investigated cheating allegations after this year's tests in May looked into 35 cases in which examiners were suspicious because pupils in the same school were giving very similar answers. The move follows allegations that schools opened papers in advance and coached pupils for this year's tests - one headteacher resigned after confessing that he had done so. From next summer, schools will not be allowed to open papers until one hour before they are used and local authorities will carry out new spot checks to make sure that the papers have not been opened before the test date.Papers will be sent out only a few days in advance of the tests instead of a fortnight early, and headteachers will have to sign declarations that tests in the three subjects for 11- and 14-year-olds have been administered properly and fairly.At present, heads may open papers early if they have permission from the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, which oversees the tests. The Government announced yesterday that it was tightening up arrangements for national curriculum tests in English, maths and science for 11- and 14-year-olds. Lebanon's 16 freelance television stations have been cut to four - all owned by prominent members of the Lebanese government.

In Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, criticism of the head of state is seen as treachery. In Tripoli, Cairo, Algiers (where more than 50 journalists have been killed by Islamists), Tunis and capitals of the Gulf states, journalists are imprisoned for the mildest criticism. In Lebanon - where the press is still comparatively free - and Jordan and Palestine, writers have been locked up. The Saudi-owned international Arab press - especially Al-Hayat and Asharq al-Awsat - have some freedom.But the Saudi-owned Orbit channel brought about the collapse of BBC's Arabic television service over a programme about the kingdom.Israel cannot be left out of the equation. Local censorship means that most accounts of the attempted murder by Mossad of a Hamas leader in Amman are preceded by the words "foreign media are reporting ..."Yosef Lapid, an Israeli journalist, this week described the censorship as "an infantile game" - but at least he could say it.. Measures to stop teachers and pupils benefiting from previews of national tests were announced yesterday.