The number of pupils missing secondary school is at the lowest level ever recorded, but the figures remain highest in deprived areas.

Absenteeism in Wales has fallen since 2006 and was at a record low of 6.2% in 2014-15, Welsh government figures show.
The highest levels were recorded at schools with a high number of pupils claiming free school meals.
Education Minister Huw Lewis said the falling absence rate was "excellent news".
Schools in Vale of Glamorgan had the lowest rate of overall absence, while Caerphilly had the highest.
Flintshire had the lowest unauthorised absences (0.3%) and Cardiff had the highest (2.5%).
The overall figures for all schools was 1.3%.
The number of persistent absentees - those who missed at least 20 half days - has fallen every year since 2007/08 and is down from 10% to 4.5%.
The most common reasons for missing school was illness, followed by medical appointments, religious holidays, study leave, traveller absence and agreed family holiday.
Mr Lewis added: "We know school standards are rising across the board in Wales and we are committed to ensuring young people are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential. Regular attendance at school goes a long way towards achieving this."
David Evans, Wales secretary of teachers' union NUT Cymru, said: "There are many different reasons for absences and teachers strive to understand and thereby mitigate any cause for the same.
"It is very pleasing to see that records show that those efforts are having the desired effect."


A record-breaking number of migrating birds have been recorded on the Hebridean island of Tiree this year.

The RSPB said 2,270 black-tailed godwits spent time on the island this spring, almost double the previous record of 1,320 in 2013.
The majority of the birds this year were found in a tiny field in Kilmoluaig.
Godwits often stop off in the Hebrides to refuel during their migration to Iceland, where they breed.
Spotters identified some of the birds as having come from France, Portugal and Spain due to the rings fitted on their legs.
John Bowler, Tiree officer for RSPB Scotland, said: "Black-tailed godwits are known to stop off here for food on their way to Iceland, particularly when adverse northerly winds hamper their progress across the North Atlantic.
"So, with huge numbers of golden plover already noted on Tiree during pretty windy conditions, it wasn't a huge surprise when black-tailed godwits started turning up, too. However, to see flocks of this size is just incredible.
"Hopefully they will enjoy a good breeding season this year and I'm already looking forward to seeing them pass back through Tiree in the autumn."


Two people have died after their car crashed on the A937 near Marykirk Bridge.

Police said a 31-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were killed when the vehicle went through the parapet of a bridge and fell down a steep slope.
A second man was taken to hospital with serous injuries after the crash in the early hours of Sunday.
The Montrose to Laurencekirk road was closed for several hours while investigations were carried out.
It reopened at about 17:00.
The crash scene was in Angus, just beyond the Aberdeenshire border.


Russia has tried to deflect blame for a deadly chemical attack away from the Syrian government, the US has said.

White House officials told reporters that intelligence reports confirmed that Syria was responsible for the incident, which killed 89 people.
Syria has denied it and Moscow has instead blamed rebel forces.
The US fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in retaliation, but the global community is divided over how to respond.
On Tuesday, senior White House officials discussed a four-page declassified report that says Syria and Russia have used "false narratives" to try to confuse the international community.
"Russia's allegations fit with a pattern of deflecting blame from the [Syrian] regime and attempting to undermine the credibility of its opponents," said an official.
The report said the government of President Bashar al-Assad carried out an air strike on 4 April in Idlib province to hit rebels in the area.
A chemical agent was flown by aircraft that departed from the Shayrat airfield, the document said.
"I think it's clear that the Russians are trying to cover up what happened there," one of the officials said.
But they refused to comment on whether Russia colluded with Syria on the attack or knew about it in advance, a point echoed later by the US secretary of defence.
James Mattis added: "There is no doubt the Syrian regime is responsible for the decision to attack and for the attack itself."
His comments came just after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Russia to challenge the Kremlin over its support for Mr Assad.
A two-day summit of G7 ministers in Italy ended in division over Syria, as the UK proposed - without success - sanctions against Syrian and Russian military figures over the chemical attack.


A Frenchwoman sacked for refusing to remove her headscarf at work was discriminated against, the European Court of Justice has been advised.

After her dismissal, Asma Bougnaoui took her case to the French courts and it was eventually referred to the ECJ.
She was "professionally competent" as a design engineer and sacked solely for refusing to remove her headscarf, its advocate general has advised.
A final ruling will be made by judges, who usually follow legal advice.
Muslims in France have frequently challenged moves by the state and other bodies to regulate religious clothing.
This case reached one of France's highest courts, the court of cassation, which requested an opinion from the European Court of Justice - whose verdict is binding on member states.
France outcry over Muslim schoolgirl's skirt ban 2015
European Court upholds French full veil ban 2014
French veil law: Muslim woman's challenge in Strasbourg 2013
The Islamic veil across Europe 2014
Paris ban on Muslim street prayers comes into effect 2011
Before Ms Bougnaoui was employed by IT consultancy company Micropole in 2008, she was told in interviews she might not be able to wear the hijab, which covers the head but not the face, at all times.
She provided services to clients on their own premises. But after one such visit, a client complained that her headscarf had "embarrassed" its employees. Micropole asked Ms Bougnaoui to remove her headscarf on her next visit, but she refused and was dismissed on 22 June 2009.
In her view, ECJ advocate general Eleanor Sharpston said there was "nothing to suggest that Ms Bougnaoui was unable to perform her duties as a design engineer because she wore an Islamic headscarf". In fact, the company itself had made express reference to her professional competence.
Ms Sharpston rejected the idea that banning workers from wearing religious attire when they came into contact with clients could be necessary "for the protection of individual rights and freedoms necessary for the functioning of a democratic society".
In conclusion she said Ms Bougnaoui's dismissal constituted "direct discrimination" and that company policies imposing an entirely neutral dress code could only be justified "if it pursues a legitimate aim and is proportionate".
The ruling is not binding on the court but advisory. Judges will deliver the final, binding verdict at a later date.


The identity of a body found more than a month ago in the grounds of an Edinburgh mansion has been confirmed as a 36-year-old woman from London.

The remains of Saima Ahmed were found on Saturday 9 January at Gogar Mount House in Gogarstone Road and on the edge of nearby Gogarburn Golf Club.
Ms Ahmed had been reported missing by her family to the Metropolitan Police Service on 31 August 2015.
Her death is being treated as unexplained.
Ms Ahmed's family said they were "shocked" by her death.
Police said Ms Ahmed left her home in Wembley on the morning of 30 August.
They are appealing for information to help trace her exact movements that day and what led her to Edinburgh.
Detectives believe Ms Ahmed travelled by rail.
08:30 - Oakington Manor Drive, Wembley - Ms Ahmed leaves home.
09:57 - captured on CCTV alone in High Road, Wembley.
10:00 - High Road, Wembley - ATM outside Natwest Bank - Ms Ahmed is believed to have withdrawn money from her account.
10:08 - captured on CCTV alone entering Wembley Central Railway Station.
10:18 - Wembley Central Railway Station - boards a London Overground service bound for Watford Junction. She appears to have been alone.
Ms Ahmed is understood to have got off at Watford Junction.
11:06  - believed, but not confirmed, to have boarded a train bound for Northampton.
Her exact route after this time is unknown however police believe she may have travelled to Hemel Hempstead, Birmingham and then on to Edinburgh.
Officers are urging anyone who remembers Ms Ahmed or who may have spoken to her to come forward.
Ms Ahmed was a woman of Asian heritage, about 5ft 5in, of medium build, with shoulder length straight dark hair.
She was last seen wearing a dark long v-neck top, black trousers, black shoes and a black jacket.
Det Ch Insp Martin MacLean, of Police Scotland, said: "I have met personally with Saima Ahmed's family and have passed my condolences to them at this tragic and extremely difficult time.
"I have given them a commitment that we are doing everything we can to establish why Saima travelled to Edinburgh and the exact circumstances that led to her death.
"At this stage of our inquiry we continue to treat Saima's death as unexplained however there is no evidence of criminality as matters currently stand.
"Clearly there are a number of matters and facts we have yet to establish and it remains a mystery to Saima's family why she travelled to Edinburgh.
Ms Ahmed's family said: "We, Saima's family are extremely saddened and shocked by the death of Saima.
"She was a very loving and caring person who was part of a very close family.
"We are hoping someone can provide some information as to Saima's journey on the 30 August 2015 and help us to understand what happened to her."


A Grade II*-listed lido has reopened following a seven-year restoration project and Â£3m of community funding.

Saltdean Lido was in a dilapidated state and in danger of being partially demolished until a local group secured a lease from the council to operate it.
The refurbished outdoor site now has a 40m (131ft) heated swimming pool, a paddling pool and a "splash area".
A synchronised swim marked the ticketed opening of the pool to the general public on Saturday morning.
Rebecca Crook, chairwoman and director of the Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company (CIC), said the facilities also included a new changing block, but there was still more work to be done.
"Our next phase subject to funding will see the main building restored with building works commencing in 2018," she said.
"This project demonstrates what a group of volunteers can do.
"We are delighted and hope many more future generations will enjoy the iconic building and pool."
The pools will be open until mid-September, but the aim is to eventually offer a range of all-year round amenities.
The Saltdean Lido CIC has a 60-year lease to operate the pool.
It was first opened on the seafront in July 1938 and was designed to face south-east towards the sea.
It was widely admired for its innovative design and the aim to give swimmers the impression of being on a cruise liner.
After just two summer seasons the lido was closed in September 1940 by the outbreak of World War Two.
It did not reopen until July 1964, by which time it had been bought and restored by Brighton Town Council for Â£20,000 after it issued a compulsory purchase order on the owners.
It closed again in 1995 after falling attendances and the need for repairs.
The Save Saltdean Lido Campaign was then set up in March 2010 by local residents after plans were announced to fill in the swimming pool, develop the site extensively and create 125 apartments.
Campaigners finally won their fight to run and restore the lido three-and-a-half years later.


David Cameron has said the UK is ready to "play its part" in fighting Islamic State, which he called an "evil against which the whole world must unite".

Speaking at the UN in New York, the prime minister said "past mistakes" must not be an "excuse" for inaction.
He spoke as US and Arab jets continued bombing Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria, after attacks began on Tuesday.
The UK cabinet has been meeting to discuss possible air strikes in Iraq, with Parliament due to vote on Friday.
MPs will debate a motion ruling out any air strikes against Syria or using ground troops.
But they will be asked to back UK bombing of IS in Iraq which the motion says poses a "clear threat" to the "territorial integrity" of the country.
The motion also "condemns the barbaric acts" of IS and the "humanitarian crisis" the militants are causing.
In his UN speech, Mr Cameron said the Iraqi government had made a "clear request" for international military assistance against IS, which has taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months.
He said this provided a "clear basis in international law for action".
by Nick Bryant, BBC United Nations correspondent
David Cameron's address at the UN felt like a dress rehearsal for the speech he'll deliver in the House of Commons on Friday, and his target audience seemed to be parliamentarians as much as diplomats in the hall.
Other than a few cursory words about Middle East peace, Ukraine and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, it was devoted almost exclusively to making the case for British air strikes in Iraq.
Referring to the war there a decade ago, a conflict lodged so firmly in the minds of parliamentarians, he said that past mistakes should not become an "excuse for indifference or inaction".
He was also careful to spell out the legal case for air strikes in Iraq, a touchier issue in Westminster than it is in New York.
As well as air strikes, Mr said Western forces could equip, train and support local fighting forces.
He said IS, also known as Isil and Isis, had killed people of "every faith and none" and had "murderous plans to expand its borders well beyond Iraq and Syria and to carry out terrorist atrocities right across the world".
It comes after a third night of US-led air strikes against the militants targeted oil refineries in Syria.
Five civilians and 14 IS fighters were killed in the east of the country, according to UK-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
British jihadists are among those thought to have been killed in air strikes earlier this week.
Khadijah Kamara told the BBC she believed her 19-year-old son Ibrahim, who went to Syria in February, was among the dead.
The 35-year-old, from Brighton, said: "I forgive him, may God have mercy on him. I'm not angry.
"I just pray that God forgives him. Think about how your actions will affect your family. The impact on people who care about you."
He is thought to have been fighting with al-Qaeda affiliate group Jabhat al-Nusra, BBC Newsnight's Secunder Kermani said.
Our reporter added that a source in Syria had told him that, as well as Mr Kamara, three British men of Bengali heritage from the London area were killed on Monday.
Addressing the UN, Mr Cameron said it was "right" to learn lessons from the past - especially from the 2003 invasion of Iraq - but leaders must not be "frozen with fear".
"Isolation and withdrawing from a problem like Isil will only make matters worse," he said.
"We must not allow past mistakes to become an excuse for indifference or inaction."
He also said:
Mr Cameron said IS had recruited fighters from around the world, including 500 from Britain.
One of these Britons "almost certainly" killed the two American journalists and the British aid worker whose beheadings featured on IS videos posted online in recent weeks, he said.
The UN Security Council has adopted a binding resolution compelling states to prevent their nationals joining jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
US President Barack Obama chaired the session and called for global efforts to dismantle the IS "network of death".
The president said more than 40 countries had offered to join the coalition against IS.
The US started bombing IS targets in Iraq last month and began air attacks in Syria on Tuesday.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are supporting the plan for UK air strikes in Iraq.
Sir Menzies Campbell - a former Lib Dem leader and prominent opponent of the 2003 Iraq invasion - said he was "satisfied there are perfectly sound legal grounds" for the attack.
"The request has been made by the Iraqi government," he told Sky News.
"The very future of Iraq is at stake and we're quite entitled to adopt and accept that request and to become involved"
Sir Menzies accused IS of "systematic barbarism", adding: "Effectively there's ethnic cleansing going on."
Full text of Friday's Commons motion
That this House:
Condemns the barbaric acts of ISIL against the peoples of Iraq including the Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians and Yazidi and the humanitarian crisis this is causing;
Recognises the clear threat ISIL pose to the territorial integrity of Iraq and the request from the government of Iraq for military support from the international community and the specific request to the UK government for such support;
Further recognises the threat ISIL poses to wider international security and the UK directly through its sponsorship of terrorist attacks and its murder of a British hostage;
Acknowledges the broad coalition contributing to military support of the government of Iraq, including countries throughout the Middle East;
Further acknowledges the request of the government of Iraq for international support to defend itself against the threat ISIL poses to Iraq and its citizens, and the clear legal basis that this provides for action in Iraq;
Notes that this motion does not endorse UK air strikes in Syria as part of this campaign, and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament;
Accordingly supports Her Majesty's Government, working with allies, in supporting the government of Iraq in protecting civilians and restoring its territorial integrity, including the use of UK air strikes to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces' efforts against ISIL in Iraq;
Notes that Her Majesty's Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations;
Offers its wholehearted support to the men and women of Her Majesty's armed forces.
BBC deputy political editor James Landale said the government was "confident" of winning Friday's vote - but it did not propose military action in Syria because of the legal impediments of acting there without the support of the Assad regime.
However, former UK attorney general Dominic Grieve told BBC Newsnight the Iraqi government's request for help could make it possible for the UK to take military action in Syria without breaching international law.
He said there was evidence that some attacks were "spilling over the border" from Syria into Iraq, so the UK could use "reasonable, necessary and proportionate means" to help Iraq defend itself.
He said it might also be possible to make a legal case for intervening in Syria under the "doctrine of humanitarian necessity" to protect people from IS genocide.


Inverness CT manager John Hughes admits Dundee "did enough" to defeat his side at Dens Park and that his own team did not merit more than a point.

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Inverness were dominated after the interval with Kane Hemmings eventually cancelling out Ross Draper's opener.
"We've got [Owain] Fon-Williams to thank for making three or four wonderful saves to keep us in it," Hughes told BBC Scotland.
"We were second to every ball and I'm happy to come away with a point."
Dundee recovered from Draper's strike and spent most of the second half in and around the Inverness penalty area as they controlled the game.
"You have to be honest," said Hughes. "I felt in the first half the two teams were nip and tuck, we played some nice stuff and got our goal. In the second half it was all Dundee.
"My frustration was how Dundee were getting in so easily and I'm really disappointed with the goal that we lost and how it came about. We need to defend that better.
"We were second to every ball and that gives the other team the impetus to get on it and play. We just dropped off it, especially in the second half today. It's not a skill or a technique thing, it's a mental thing."
Dundee manager Paul Hartley, meanwhile, felt that his side created enough chances in the second half to win the game comfortably, and he praised his players for remaining patient as they pushed for an equaliser, even as Hemmings, Rory Loy and Greg Stewart all missed a series of chances.
"In the first 10 minutes we didn't start that well but in the second half we were terrific," said Hartley.
"We could have won that game 5-1, we had some fantastic chances and on another day you bank on Stewart and Hemmings scoring more than that given they chances they got.
"But the team kept going and I thought we were brilliant in the second half, some of our passes and combinations.
"You've got the give the [Inverness] goalkeeper credit, he made some great saves, but we kept going, we never gave in and I've got a smashing bunch of lads.
"[The battle to finish in the top six] is exciting, there's not a lot between the clubs. We've got a big week coming up, a real testing week for the club, the players and myself, and it's a week we want to do well in."


Speaking on Sky News and Channel 4 last Thursday, Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "Living standards have fallen."

On Tuesday, Chancellor George Osborne said: "Living standards are higher than when we came to office."
Who is right depends on which measure you use - there is no definitive measure of standards of living - but there are some fresh figures out this morning.
The measure that Labour has been using for a very long time is that people are Â£1,600 a year worse off than they were at the time of the last election.
This figure was a comparison of average weekly earnings adjusted for inflation using the Retail Prices Index, although the people at Full Fact point out that it's now changed to median wages adjusted using the Consumer Prices Index, which coincidentally still gives a figure of Â£1,600.
Anyway, the point is that this only takes into account employed people and also it's a figure from April 2014, which is pretty old. Falling inflation and rising average earnings recently mean that ideally you would want a more up-to-date measure.
And that brings us on to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Economic Wellbeing release for the last three months of 2014, which was published this morning.
It collates 10 indicators, including Mr Osborne's favourite measure of standards of living: Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita.
In the Budget, Mr Osborne said that RHDI by the end of 2015 would be above the level at the last election.
This morning's figures suggest that RHDI for the last three months of 2014 was just a touch above the figures for the second three months of 2010 (which was when the election was).
But they're still below the levels they were in the previous four quarters, and indeed the figure for the whole of 2014 is still below the whole of 2010.
The ONS has made a few changes to the RHDI measure. It used to include things you would not consider to be households such as charities, universities and trade unions, but they have now been excluded.
The other issue with it is that the average it uses is the mean (add up all the income and divide by the number of households) which means it could be skewed by a small number of very wealthy people.
An alternative measure would be median income (line up all the households in order of income and take the middle one) which is at its lowest level since 2002-03, the ONS says, although that's also quite an old figure, from 2012-13.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) predicts that the 2014-15 figure will be at about the same level as it was before the recession in 2007-08, but still below its peak in 2009-10.
Most of the other measures have improved since 2010, although as the IFS pointed out after the Budget, taking five years to recover standards of living is a very slow recovery.
Also, while many of the measures have recovered to their 2010 levels, they have not recovered to their 2009 levels. Most of them fell sharply from 2009 to 2011, so while the comparison with the previous election is important politically, economically it is also important to look at the peak in the previous year, and on the whole we're not back to those levels yet.
And interestingly, one of the indicators that has deteriorated the most since 2010 is whether people are satisfied with their income, so perhaps these figures are not as much of a boost for Mr Osborne as he might have hoped.


A Conservative cabinet minister has come out as gay, a decision he described as "one of the most important of my life".

Scottish Secretary David Mundell wrote on his personal website that it was time to "acknowledge in public as well as in private, who I am".
The 53-year-old MP said he hoped that coming out would not change anything about how he was treated.
Mr Mundell is MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale.
He is believed to be the first openly-gay Conservative cabinet minister.
A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister was "very pleased" by Mr Mundell's "very personal statement" and that it was "very encouraging to see".
Mr Mundell, who has three grown-up children, wrote in his online post: "New Year, new start! I have already set out my political priorities for the year and now I am setting out my personal one.
"Having taken one of the most important decisions of my life and resolved to come out as gay in 2016, I just want to get on with it, and now, just like that, I have said it."
Mr Mundell, who is Scotland's only Tory MP, said that he had viewed the prospect of coming out as being "harder than standing for election, speaking in the House of Commons or being cross-examined on television".
The MP said he "still cannot rationalise such feelings", but said they were "not uncommon, particularly in men of my age".
Mr Mundell added: "Of course, everybody who gets to this point, has had their own journey. I have certainly been on mine - conflicting emotions, of doubts and fears, but ultimately positive and uplifting, with an unstoppable direction of travel.
"Over time, I came to understand that, for me, the only way to be truly happy on a personal level is to acknowledge in public as well as in private, who I am."
He said he could not have had more love and support from his family and friends, adding: "I don't know what the wider reaction will be, but I know it's the right thing for me to do".
Mr Mundell's announcement brings the number of openly-gay MPs in the House of Commons to 33 - the highest proportion of any parliament in the world, according to a study by US academics - and means there are as many on the Tory as the Labour benches (13).
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is also openly gay, tweeted that she was "really proud of my friend David".
She added: "I know that David didn't make today's statement lightly, but approached it in his typically thoughtful and positive manner.
"He has my wholehearted support, as well as the support of the wider Scottish Conservative family."
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Good on you, David. Well done & best wishes."
Colin Macfarlane, director of Stonewall Scotland, said: "Having high profile people across all areas of society, from politics to sport, is crucial to creating inclusive environments and helping ensure the fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people at work, at home and in their communities.
"Role models like David Mundell also inspire young lesbian, gay, bi  and trans people by letting them know they are not alone and that they too can feel proud of their identity."


A Conservative, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrats coalition could provide an "effective alternative" to Labour rule after the 2016 Assembly elections, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has said.

The parties came close to forming an administration in 2007, but a Plaid-Labour coalition was eventually set up.
Mr Crabb said the continued presence of Labour in government is "unhealthy".
Welsh Labour said the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Westminster coalition has been "terrible for Wales".
Mr Crabb added: "The three pro-devolution parties in Wales; Welsh Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru, could, possibly could, provide a fresh, effective alternative to the monopolistic hold on the levers of government in Wales by the Labour Party."
A Welsh Labour spokesman said: "If anything is unhealthy for Wales, it would be a Tory, Plaid and Lib Dem government slashing education funding by up to 20%, scrapping free prescriptions and bringing back the failed grammar school system."


Young teachers are shying away from taking out mortgages because of uncertainty about future earnings, says a teachers' union leader.

Dr Mary Bousted, head of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said new performance-related pay structures meant new teachers could not predict their future earnings.
Teachers' pay had fallen 12% against inflation, she told the ATL conference.
The government said the changes would let heads pay good teachers more.
A new pay structure for teachers was introduced in England and Wales last September.
The move was controversial and led to industrial action by members of the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT.
Dr Bousted said: "What was previously an expectation that if you worked for so many years, you would be earning X" was no longer there for younger teachers.
They were wary of rising interest rates and reluctant to commit to mortgages.
"The issue of teachers not knowing what they're going to be paid, and the workload, is making the profession deeply unattractive," said Dr Bousted.
She told the conference in Manchester: "[Education Secretary] Michael Gove told the School Teachers' Review Body that he wanted to pay the best teachers more.
"He said that the national pay framework was constraining individual schools from paying the best teachers more. So he abolished the national pay framework.
"He said teachers' incremental pay scales meant that they were rewarded just for turning up, not for good performance. So he abolished the pay scales."
In her conference speech, Dr Bousted also launched a stinging attack on Ofsted, saying senior management's desire to create an inspection-ready school "destroyed collaboration".
She said the inspectorate should be "radically slimmed down" and all inspectors properly trained and licensed, saying it was "so damaged, so tarnished" that it had to be completely transformed.
"Someone has to stand up for teachers and someone has to stand up to bullies," she told her members.
"School leaders, whose jobs are as secure as their Ofsted category, too often resort to dictatorial ways, telling teachers what to do, insisting on ridiculous bureaucracies around lesson planning and assessment frameworks, which take teachers' time and attention from a deep focus on teaching and learning."
Inspection findings were, she claimed, rarely valid or reliable.
"We know that, frankly, it's a lottery which depends on which Ofsted inspection team turns up - one that has a clue, or one that is clueless."
She said: "I am not alone in coming to the conclusion that Ofsted gets it very wrong far too often - the normally Tory-supporting, right-wing think-tank Policy Exchange, in its recent report on Ofsted, says that you might as well flip a coin to come to an Ofsted judgement on teaching quality."
The Policy Exchange report, Watching the Watchmen, recommended Ofsted abolish or radically reduce the number of inspectors it uses from private companies, saying many inspectors do not have the skills needed to make fair judgements of schools.
Dr Bousted expressed concern that the "Ofsted sword of Damocles" hung over any senior leader "foolish enough" to think they would be given sufficient time to turn around schools with problems.
"Ofsted has ensured that leaders taking these positions significantly raise their risk of committing career suicide."
An Ofsted spokeswoman said the inspectorate had played a major part in raising standards in England's schools over the past 21 years.
She said: "Our reports remain a valuable and independent source of information for parents, carers and the wider public.
"As Her Majesty's chief inspector has said, Ofsted does not expect schools to adopt a particular way of teaching.
"However, we have toughened our inspection frameworks over recent years and schools are rising to the challenge."


Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has been disqualified from qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and will start the race from the pit lane.

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The championship leader, who qualified third, did not have enough fuel in his car for a sample to be taken.
Vettel stopped his car out on the track on his way back to the pits at the end of the session, as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton had done in Spain in May.
It promotes his title rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari to sixth on the grid.
Vettel heads into the race with a 13-point lead over the Spaniard after winning the last four races.
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The decision gives Alonso a golden opportunity to make up some of the ground he has lost in the championship following a major step forward in performance made by Red Bull since the Singapore Grand Prix at the end of September.
When Hamilton started at the back at the Spanish Grand Prix, after qualifying on pole by more than half a second, he made it back up to eighth by the end of the race.
Hamilton starts from pole position, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Williams's Pastor Maldonado will start third, ahead of Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren's Jenson Button and Alonso.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "It's frustrating, it's annoying, it's one of those things...
"It's an issue which was reported, it was an instruction from Renault who wanted to stop the engine immediately due to an issue within the fuel cell. We did that.
"The FIA accepted the technical issue, but unfortunately, as the regulations dictate, there has to be one litre of fuel for a sample to be taken and only 850ml has been extracted.
"Renault are convinced the rest of the fuel is in the tank. We've taken the car out of parc ferme to further investigate."
"You must play it safe for how much petrol you have in the car and some teams don't. Sometimes I think people push it too much to the limit and you need to be more in control.
"The team has to come to the FIA and tell them why the car stopped on the grid. The FIA will listen and then they'll make a decision."
On Vettel's reaction he said: "He's remarkably calm. He has dealt with it. He said: 'Out of a negative comes a positive.' He'll be maximum attack tomorrow."
Vettel himself said: "One of the best ski jumpers of all time once said: 'Every chance is an opportunity.' And as far as we are concerned there are still plenty of chances tomorrow."
Horner added that Vettel would start from the pit lane rather than the back of the grid. The team wanted to investigate the causes of the fuel problem, he said, which breaks F1's parc ferme regulations that dictate teams cannot modify their cars between qualifying and race.
Starting from the pit lane also enables them to change such features as gear ratios and downforce settings, which Red Bull may want to do to make it easier for Vettel to overtake in the race.
The F1 rules require the car to return to the pits with at least one litre of fuel on board because running less fuel gives a performance advantage.
The rule - article 6.6.2 of the technical regulations - dictates that cars must make their way back to the pits under their own power but says that exceptions may be made in cases of force majeure.
A statement from governing body the FIA said: "The stewards heard from the driver and team representatives and studied telemetry evidence that showed the reason why the car was stopped.
"The stewards accepted the explanation and considered the incident as being a case of force majeure.
"However, a report was received from the technical delegate that showed during post-qualifying scrutineering an insufficient quantity of fuel for sampling purposes.
"The stewards determine that this is a breach of article 6.6.2 of the FIA Formula 1 technical regulations and the competitor is accordingly excluded from the results of the qualifying session."


A nine-year-old chess champion who died of an asthma attack could probably have been saved if he had not been sent home from hospital, a coroner has ruled.

Michael Uriely died five days after leaving the Royal Free Hospital in London in 2015.
In the months before his death he was seen by many doctors who failed to diagnose his condition was chronic.
Had he been given a high dose of steroids in hospital "it's unlikely he would have died", the coroner said.
Michael's parents took him to hospital following a violent coughing and vomiting episode on 18 August that left him struggling to breathe.
By 20:00 BST he was allowed to go home, but the inquest heard he suffered another attack  in the early hours and was taken back to A&E.
This time he was kept in overnight, but despite two internal investigations medics failed to diagnose his chronic asthma.
He was again released from hospital the following day and died from an acute attack on 25 August.
When Michael was admitted to hospital twice within 24 hours, "alarm bells should have begun to ring", Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said.
She told Westminster Coroner's Court earlier a "totally inadequate" medical history was obtained on that occasion and no connection was made with his previous admission.
She added: "The opportunity was lost to recognise this as a serious problem - the history and signs were there to be seen and understood.
"But sadly it wasn't recognised and he was discharged essentially on the same treatment he had been on."
Following Michael's death, The Royal Free Hospital appointed two specialist respiratory clinicians, opened a dedicated asthma clinic and introduced a new strategy for dealing with children with asthma.
His parents, Ayelet and Roy Uriely, said Michael was "an extraordinary boy, both in personality and intelligence".
They said: "He doted on his younger twin sisters, who adored him, and always joined in with their games".
Michael was diagnosed with asthma when he was two and began learning chess aged three.
Since his death, seven other children in London have died from asthma, the inquest heard.


A meeting in a Dutch town to discuss whether to build a new centre for migrants had to be abandoned when some opponents rioted.

Protesters in Geldermalsen tore down fences and threw fireworks at police who responded with warning shots.
European countries are facing record numbers of refugees and other migrants entering Greece illegally from Turkey.
Dutch State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff said the protesters had crossed a line.
"Finding shelter for asylum seekers poses difficult questions but there is a limit when it comes to expressing your opinion," he said on Dutch TV.
"The line is crossed when you barge in yelling and rioting. That's not appropriate in a discussion and, thankfully, we have seen that it went much quieter in other places and a solution was found. This is not ok."
The migration crisis is expected to dominate a meeting of EU leaders on Thursday.
Local mayor Miranda de Vries said no-one in the meeting hall had been injured but tweeted she was sad "through and through".
The meeting in Geldermalsen was to discuss establishing a centre for 1,500 asylum seekers.
About 2,000 people joined the protests from the municipality of 27,000, 27 km (17 miles) from Utrecht, Dutch national broadcaster NOS reports.
Local police say they made several arrests.
Along with Germany and Sweden, the Netherlands is one of the most popular destinations for migrants in the wealthier north of the EU.
Including this year's arrivals, the government said last month it expected to receive 58,000 asylum seekers by the end of 2016.
Former prisons, empty government offices and sports halls are being hastily modified to accommodate the surge in numbers.


Elephants have enhanced defences against cancer that can prevent tumours forming, say scientists.

They were trying to explain why the animals have lower levels of cancer than would be expected by their size.
The team at the University of Utah said "nature has already figured out how to prevent cancer" and plan to devise new treatments.
But experts said the focus should be on the "ridiculous" and "absurd" things humans do to increase risk.
There is a train of thought that says every cell can become cancerous so the more of them you have, the more likely you are to get cancer.
So if an elephant has 100 times as many cells as a person then the trunk-swinging mammals should be 100 times more likely to have the disease.
And yet the analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed only 5% of elephants die from cancer compared to up to 25% of people.
The scientists turned to the elephant's DNA - the blueprint of life - to find an explanation.
Cancer is caused by mutations in a cell's DNA that produce faulty instructions leading to rampant growth as the cell spirals out of control,
But animals also have "smoke alarms" that detect the damage and either lead to the cell being repaired or killed.
One of these alarms is called TP53, and while humans have one TP53 gene, elephants have 20.
As a result, elephants seem far more keen to kill off cells on the cusp of going rogue.
Dr Joshua Schiffman, one of the researchers and a paediatric oncologist, said: "By all logical reasoning, elephants should be developing a tremendous amount of cancer, and in fact, should be extinct by now due to such a high risk for cancer.
"Nature has already figured out how to prevent cancer, it's up to us to learn how different animals tackle the problem so we can adapt those strategies to prevent cancer in people."
Animals have evolved different ways of tackling cancer including the naked mole rat, which is also incredibly cancer-resistant.
But Prof Mel Greaves, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, says we should focus on why humans have such high levels of cancer.
He told the BBC News website: "In terms of adaptive mechanisms against cancer we have the same as a chimp, but we get a lot more cancer than a chimp.
"I think the answer is humans are completely unique as a species in having very rapid social evolution in a short period of time."
He pointed to the rise of unhealthy, cancer-causing behaviours, such as obesity and sunbathing.
"You've never seen an elephant smoke!" he added.
The menopause is also a potential explanation for why humans have not evolved better ways of preventing cancer.
In an evolutionary sense "success" is judged by the number of descendants you have rather than how long you live.
Elephants have the greatest reproductive success towards the end of their lives, while humans can live for decades after the menopause.
It means there is little evolutionary pressure in humans to develop ways of preventing cancer in old age.
"Humans have engineered socially extended lifespans way beyond reproductive senescence - you can't find another species like that," concluded Prof Greaves.
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Back row forward Ed Jackson has agreed a contract extension with Newport Gwent Dragons.

The deal will keep the number eight in Newport until 2019 and comes the day before his 28th birthday.
Jackson has made more than 30 appearances since joining from Wasps.
"Originally my thoughts were to look to move back into the Aviva Premiership afterwards, but since joining I have enjoyed it a lot more than I first anticipated," said Jackson.
"It feels like there is a proper rugby community in Gwent, which is very infectious and I have really enjoyed that aspect of it."
Jackson arrived from Wasps in the summer of 2015 and says he turned down a potential move back to the English top-flight to stay at Rodney Parade.
"This year I had the opportunity to go back and play in the Aviva Premiership, but when [head coach] Kingsley [Jones] mentioned that he would like me to stay it didn't take much consideration," he added.
"I am enjoying myself on and off the pitch and I believe that the region are moving in the right direction."
Jones added: "I had the opportunity to work closely with Ed before he joined the Dragons, and he has continued to impress me with his intelligence and skill set.
"He has earned his new contract with some outstanding performances, and what pleases me most is his belief in what we are trying to build here and how positively we're progressing."


A teenager who fell between a platform and train has suffered "life changing injuries" and remains seriously injured in hospital, transport police say.

London Midland said the 17-year-old lost an arm after becoming trapped next to one of its services at Droitwich on Friday, which then pulled away.
He remains in a serious but stable condition in a Birmingham hospital, British Transport Police said.
London Midland is liaising with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
More updates on this story
Police and paramedics were called to the station at about 19:50 BST.
The 18:48 train from Hereford to Birmingham New Street was delayed for more than an hour while emergency crews treated the boy.


Top seeds Egypt fought back to beat defending champions England and win the squash Women's World Team Championship.

Egypt went into the tournament in Paris as favourites with the top three players in the world in their team.
Laura Massaro gave England the lead in the best-of-three final with a 9-11 11-5 11-6 11-6 win over Nour El Sherbini.
Nouran Gohar levelled with a 11-6 11-4 12-10 win over Alison Waters, and Raneem El Welily then beat Sarah-Jane Perry 12-10 11-4 11-6 in the decider.
It was the third final in a row involving these two teams, with Egypt winning in 2012 before England claimed the title for a seventh time in 2014.
Egypt coach Amr Shabana said: "Laura came out strong, as expected. She didn't give away any cheap points. Her fighting spirit won the crucial points.
"Nouran proved why she is number three in the world and Raneem showed her amazing athleticism and her amazing technical prowess.
"I can sum up my feeling in two words: Mission accomplished!"
England national coach David Campion said: "Egypt were just too strong. Raneem and Nouran played at their best levels, but they needed to as our girls performed well.
"Gohar was relentless and Raneem played fantastic squash."


People in Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Dorset will be able to learn more about a controversial Â£3bn offshore wind farm at local drop-in sessions.

Navitus Bay proposes building up to 218 turbines off the Dorset and Hampshire coast and west of the Isle of Wight.
The company has said the wind farm could generate enough electricity to power up to 790,000 homes each year.
Campaign groups have expressed concern about the visual impact on the Dorset coast, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
David Lloyd, a member of Challenge Navitus, said the consultation was "a complete waste of time" and described it as a "box ticking exercise".
"They hired out a church hall in Swanage from 9am to midday, when most people are at work," he said.
"There were no displays, just two people and chairs."
He said the proposed wind farm was planned for a busy shipping area, would disrupt migrating birds and would have a negative visual impact on the area.
Charlie Sanderson, an artist who lives in Swanage, organised a public protest against the wind farm in January which attracted hundreds of people for and against the scheme.
She said: "It would be an eyesore and destroy the beauty of the area for the profit of a few foreign companies.
"It's never going to be acceptable in the location that's been proposed.
"It would kill birds and dolphins and disturb them so they wouldn't come to this area any more."
Navitus Bay project director Mike Unsworth said: "Navitus Bay is committed to communicating honestly and openly with members of the public to ensure that they are given as much information as possible about the proposed wind park...
"We are still listening and will continue to act on the feedback we receive. We would therefore encourage as many people as possible to come to these sessions to hear more about our proposals and to make their views known."
Navitus has also announced a shortlist of three local ports - Poole, Portland and Yarmouth - which would host the wind park's operations and maintenance functions.
The company estimates its operation and maintenance base would create 160 jobs annually.
The three-hour drop-in sessions will be held in eight different locations across the region.
Details can be found on the Navitus Bay website.


Number 10 has denied claims in a new book that Larry the Downing Street cat is disliked by the prime minister and his family.

It is alleged in journalist Matthew d'Ancona's book that Larry is merely a public relations prop.
But a Downing Street spokesman said Larry was "very popular with everyone" in the building.
His lackadaisical approach to mousing has previously led to speculation he would be relieved of his duties.
Larry was brought in to catch rodents, but he was spotted asleep on the job for several hours back in November 2011.
Downing Street confirmed last year, though, that the six-year-old rescue cat - who was re-homed from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in February 2011 - had recorded his first kill.
Following the latest claims in Mr d'Ancona's book about the inside story of the coalition government, called In it Together, a "savelarry" hashtag became popular on Twitter.
But on Saturday a spokesman for the prime minister said the allegations that Larry was not liked were "totally untrue".
"He is very popular with everyone in the building and we all get on purr-fectly well," he said.
On Saturday, Ladbrokes today gave Mr Cameron 1/2 odds of leaving Downing Street first with Larry the cat on 6/4.
Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: "This is a new low for Cameron during his time as PM, and despite his dislike for the cat, we favour Larry to outlast him at Number 10."


Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced its first drone, pricing it significantly lower than a comparable model by the market leader DJI.

The Mi Drone can stay airborne for nearly half an hour and will be sold with a choice of stabilised cameras.
The move gives Xiaomi the chance to target a fast-growing market, at a time when it has failed to meet its own sales targets.
One expert said the firm now had to win over potential buyers' trust.
"The feature set between the Mi Drone and DJI's Phantom 3 is almost identical - they can both be made to return home and circle around a point of interest - but Xiaomi's product is so competitively priced you have to wonder if it can make much profit," Engadget's Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai told the BBC.
"So, the new drone will probably appeal to beginners. But experienced fliers want reliability and a brand with experience, and DJI has spent years refining its technology.
"It will take Xiaomi some time to prove itself as we still don't know how reliable its drones are, the quality of its video footage or how well its software will work."
Xiaomi plans to sell the Mi Drone with a 1080p high-definition camera with a 1km (0.6 miles) range for 2,499 yuan (Â£260), and a version with a higher-resolution 4K camera and 2km range for 2,999 yuan (Â£310).
By contrast, DJI - another Chinese firm - sells the Phantom 3 4K with a range of 1.2km for 4,999 yuan (Â£520).
Xiaomi vice president Hugo Barra said that drones were "typically a product for rich people", but that his company wanted to sell them to a wider audience.
Xiaomi is pitching its four-propeller aircraft at consumers wanting to take aerial photos and videos.
Mr Barra said the built-in gimbal stabilised the Sony-made camera sensor at "up to 2,000 vibrations per second", which he said was enough to avoid blur.
He added that it could stay airborne for up to 27 minutes using a 5,100 mAh battery.
That represents an extra two minutes of flight versus the Phantom 3, although DJI's more expensive Phantom 4 can stay aloft for 28 minutes and go further.
Although the Mi Drone will be sold under Xiaomi's brand, it was actually designed by Guangzhou Feimi Electronic Technology - a start-up that Xiaomi helped fund in 2014.
The company said it would start testing the product via an "open beta programme" involving the public in July, but has not said when the final product will go on sale, or whether it will be offered outside of China.
Xiaomi originally gave itself a sales target of 100 million smartphones for 2015, but managed to sell 71 million.
Figures for the first three months of 2016 indicate that it has recently been overtaken by two other Chinese phone manufacturers, Oppo and Vivo.
"Xiaomi's core smartphone growth is slowing, so the company is expanding into new growth markets as diverse as fitness bands, rice cookers and now drones," commented Neil Mawston from the consultancy Strategy Analytics.
However, he added, the global market for consumer drones would probably be limited to seven million units in 2016, meaning it was unlikely to become a big business for the firm in the near-future.
"I think there's probably a limited use for most people having a drone in their daily life," said another analyst, Tom Morrod from IHS Technology.
"They certainly are never going to match the smartphone sector, but they do have the potential to scale to something like DSLR camera sales.
"There are a lot of potential commercial applications for drones once regulators approve them.
"So, maybe there's a longer-term play here. When Amazon, DHL and other package delivery firms start deploying drones they might come and buy them from Xiaomi."
For its part, DJI said it welcomed the challenge.
"More competition will spur every company in this industry to improve its technology, and DJI will continue to strive to be the market leader," said a spokeswoman.


A driver whose car surged forward and killed a pedestrian has insisted she did not mistake her accelerator for the brake.

Ann Diggles was trying to park her Nissan Qashqai when it hit Julie Dean, 53, in Leyland, Lancashire, in 2014.
The 82-year-old denies causing death by dangerous or careless driving and claims a vehicle fault was to blame.
She told Preston Crown Court: "There is quite a gap between the two pedals. There is no way of mistaking them."
Lawyers for the retired nurse said a malfunction in the automatic car's electronic throttle caused by an undercharged battery led to the vehicle surging forward of its own accord in an "uncommanded acceleration".
Prosecutors claimed Mrs Diggles mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake.
Prosecutor Richard Archer said: "You cannot come to terms with the fact that, after a lengthy driving career, you made such a fundamental mistake."
She responded: "If I thought I could have made this mistake, I would have said so and not put myself through nearly three years of waiting."
Earlier, she told her barrister Alistair Macdonald QC, that she knew her car "like the back of my hand" and the pedals of the brake and accelerator felt "totally different".
The crash happened as Mrs Dean stepped out of a charity shop.
Mrs Diggles, who was attempting to park, said: "I went into drive and I put my foot very gently on the accelerator to cross the road and then the car just took off. It surged forward.
"I can remember taking my foot off the accelerator quickly and I'm sure it went on to the brake and the brake didn't appear to be working.
"Then I saw this lady. I think she had her back to me and it just wouldn't stop before I got to her."
The trial continues.


Scotland's voice at Westminster and another independence referendum have been major campaign issues just five days before the general election.

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon is visiting Stonehaven, Inverness and Portree, with Scottish Labour's Jim Murphy campaigning with Gordon Brown.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is campaigning in four areas.
Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie, Charles Kennedy and Danny Alexander have been touring the Highlands.
Ms Sturgeon, who is travelling around the north of Scotland in a helicopter, has argued the SNP is the only party which can give a strong voice for the country.
Speaking in Inverness, she said: "I think people across Scotland, and I've spoken to many Labour voters in the last couple of days, who were appalled to hear Ed Miliband suggest on Thursday night that he would rather give up the chance of being prime minister and watch the Tories get back into government than work with the SNP to keep the Tories out.
"If you really want progressive politics and social justice, surely we've got to take any opportunity to get the Tories out."
Ms Sturgeon added: "My message to people across the country, whether they voted Yes or No, even if they've never voted SNP before, regardless of whether they live in urban, rural or island Scotland is on Thursday we can come together as a country and make our voice heard at Westminster like it's never been heard before and I hope we take that opportunity."
Jim Murphy said he "wanted to laugh" when he heard Ms Sturgeon question Mr Miliband's commitment to "progressive politics".
Mr Murphy was campaigning with former prime minister Gordon Brown at Braehead shopping centre, near Glasgow.
He said: "Look, the Labour party has existed since its first day standing out against the Tories, standing for a sense of social justice, standing for a belief in dignity at work. The Labour party has always been a party that will stand up for working class families
"Only Labour is big enough and strong enough to stand up to the Tories. If Scotland votes Labour the whole of Britain will have a Labour government."
He added: "We have a huge amount of energy and a vast amount of determination.
"We know we're behind in the polls in Scotland but look, Labour's plan for a higher minimum wage, the abolition of zero hours contracts, that sort of social justice is what our country needs and we need to make sure these next few days are David Cameron's last in Downing Street."
Willie Rennie joined Mr Kennedy and Mr Alexander with a message of keeping liberal values at the heart of Westminster.
The three politicians toured Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey in a classic car to meet constituents.
Mr Kennedy urged Ms Sturgeon to end the "anxiety" which he said exists over a second independence referendum.
He said: "We settled the issue last September and need to move on to the big issues that now face our country.
"Yet Nicola Sturgeon's refusal to rule it out is causing great anxiety. Divisions in communities, economic consequences and the government taking its eye off the ball are just some of the problems which come with a second referendum.
"Nicola Sturgeon has the power to put all of this uncertainty to bed. All she needs to do is keep the promise she made time and again during the referendum and rule out a second independence vote. Nicola Sturgeon should stop ducking and weaving and give a clear answer."
Ms Davidson outlined Conservative policies in Paisley, Hamilton, Falkirk and Edinburgh, urging voters that they are the party to stand up to the SNP and support the United Kingdom.
She arrived in Hamilton in a convertible VW Beetle to speak to party activists at a street stall.
Ms Davidson said: "What Scotland needs now more than ever are Scottish Conservative MPs who will stand up to the SNP and back our United Kingdom come what may.
"My pledge to all of Scotland's pro-UK majority is to honour last year's referendum result, and to keep our great country together."
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
The general election takes place on 7 May.
To find out who is standing in your area, check out the BBC's constituency profiles.


A County Tyrone missionary who was wounded in a gun attack in 2015 says her next trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be her last.

This week,  Maud Kells, 77, is planning to travel to the place where the last 48 years of her life have been spent working as a nurse and missionary.
It was work which put her in danger at times.
Last February she was shot and critically injured.
Recounting her shocking experience she said:
"After midnight, my guard and I were coming back to the house.  Suddenly two bandits came around.
One of them pointed a gun at me. Of course I froze at first but then when I thawed out I thought, 'He's not getting the better of me!' and I went to grab the gun. That's when he pulled the trigger."
The bullet hit her in the shoulder and she said she narrowly missed death or paralysis.
Now Maud says it is time to say goodbye to the country she has worked so tirelessly in.
"I feel, at my age, that it's maybe time to give up. I'm just not as healthy as I was,"  she told the BBC's Evening Extra programme.
"I feel it's God's time to say goodbye. It could go on for ever and ever but you've got to draw a line somewhere,"  she added.
Maud has spilt her time between her home in Cookstown and the mission field in Mulita, to the north east of DRC with WEC International mission agency.
When she first arrived in 1968, Ms Kells learned Swahili and turned builder, working with local people and using brick making equipment left over by the Belgians to create a hospital in the Congo.
Between them, they built a maternity unit, an operating theatre, a surgical ward and a primary school.
"When I went to work in Mulita, the church leaders approached me. They told me a lot of women were dying in childbirth and they would like me to train midwives. Whenever I realised they only had a mud hut as a maternity unit I realised it was very impractical to deliver babies in," she recalled.
"I had no idea I would end up involved in a building project.  I'd thought  I was just going out to preach the gospel and help deliver babies, " she said.
Work on a pre-school nursery is currently being carried out.
Maud said it has not always been easy but has found ways around the difficulties.
"It's amazing how you can adapt. I've brought in solar panels over the years and solar panel equipment and because we're in a rainforest we can collect rain water."
When she returns, she will be spending her first Christmas in Cookstown in 20 years.
"Out there, there's no Christmas cards, no tinsel, no decorations. So it will be as different as day and night," she said.
"I'll miss the place and the people - they're almost like my family now, having known them down through the years and their children and grand-children," she added.


A former German Football Association president is facing a two-year ban from all football-related activity.

The independent ethics committee of world governing body Fifa recommended Wolfgang Niersbach be punished for a breach of its ethics code.
In November, the 66-year-old resigned from his role as German FA president over bribery allegations.
He quit amid allegations a £4.9m payment to Fifa was used to buy votes for Germany's 2006 World Cup bid.
That payment resulted in German authorities opening a tax evasion investigation, but Niersbach has said he always worked "cleanly, confidently and correctly".
In March, Fifa began investigations into the role of Niersbach and five others, including German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, in Germany's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
It said Niersbach, who was elected to the Fifa and Uefa executive committees last year, would be investigated in order to examine a "possible failure to report a breach of the Fifa code of ethics".
Beckenbauer and three others were to be investigated for "possible undue payments and contracts to gain an advantage in the 2006 World Cup host selection".
Fifa's ethics committee also recommended that Niersbach be fined £20,000.


At least 250 jobs are to be axed in a shake-up of the assembly government's department for the economy.

The move will reduce the workforce by around a quarter, taking civil servant numbers to around 890.
Sources say the reductions will be mainly by early retirement, voluntary redundancy and departmenal transfers.
The assembly government said the restructuring would support the economic renewal programme outlined by the Deputy First Minister recently.
The announcement is not directly linked to the UK government's spending cuts but unions say they are concerned about the size of the reductions.
It follows a review published earlier in the month, the economic renewal programme, which outlined a major change in the approach to how the assembly government's economic development budget should be spent.
That included getting rid of grants to business and focusing support on six key sectors.
The reduction in jobs could increase to 300 depending on the outcome of a review into the technium programme, which provides support to new science and technology businesses.
Further reductions in staffing are being anticipated across all assembly government departments in the future once the Treasury decides on its spending levels.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents many rank and file civil servants, expressed concern about the assembly government's plans.
A PCS spokesperson said: "We are concerned about the sheer scale of the cuts and the likely effects on workload and work-life balance for staff.
"We will be meeting with [assembly government] management shortly to improve opportunities for displaced staff across all of Wales, especially in areas where there is little alternative work at this moment, particularly at the more senior levels."
The spokesperson added that the union acknowledged that the assembly government's redeployment efforts since the mergers of quangos in 2006 had been successful.
An assembly government spokesperson said the current restructuring was to support the economic renewal programme set out by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones two weeks ago.
The spokesperson said: "This will result in a reduction in the number of posts within the economy and transport department.
"We will not know the actual number of reductions until we complete consultation with our staff and trades unions but initial draft structures indicate that this is likely to be in the vicinity of 250 and 300 posts.
"We already have in place a number of schemes to manage the change including voluntary severance, early retirement and internal recruitment and redeployment to vacant posts across the Welsh Assembly Government."
CBI Wales director David Rosser said the announcement was an inevitable consequence of the assembly government's decision to take a less interventionist approach to economic growth.
He said: "A less interventionist approach will require less staff. Leaner times for both the public and private sectors in Wales mean tough decisions have to be made.
"We have every sympathy with the affected members of staff. I'm sure the assembly government, like any good employer, will do whatever it can to help the affected individuals find alternative employment."


Of all sports that are unlikely to be considered for the next Olympics in Tokyo, "competitive endurance tickling" might be at the top of the list.

However, a documentary called Tickled shines a spotlight on those who take part in it, when a TV reporter from New Zealand, David Farrier, uncovers not just a quirky sport, but a whole industry, and an underworld with allegations of cyber bullying.
Two years ago, Farrier, known for his "and finally" news pieces at his local TV station, discovered what was described as "competitive endurance tickling" videos online.
They featured young men in professional sportswear tickling each other.
A US-based company, Jane O'Brien Media, was producing the videos and offering substantial fees for anyone selected to take part in the shoots in Los Angeles.
"Right in the beginning I thought it was entirely innocent, perhaps with a subtext," explains Farrier.  "I thought it was someone's idea of a funny strange sport, as it was in a photography studio, a professional space. All the men were wearing sportswear so I thought it was someone's odd idea of a tickling league."
"I was intrigued and thought about doing a two-minute feature on it for my show, "he adds, "so I got in touch with them. Really, a short feature was all I was aiming for."
In response however, Farrier, who is bisexual, says he received emails stating that the company did not want to deal with "a homosexual journalist".
"I was a little upset but part of me thought it was funny," he adds. "I didn't understand why a company that makes men-only tickling videos would say that."
"Instinct, intrigue and fascination" drove him and his co-director Dylan Reeve on to find out more about the videos, despite representatives of the company flying to Auckland to threaten legal action. Farrier successfully raised the money for a documentary using the crowd-funding platform, Kickstarter.
"We probably did go into it quite naively," he believes.
"We never expected to find what we did. If you watch the film you'll find it's not really about tickling - it's about power.
"We were interested in the psychology of what made these men take part in the videos, and it was mainly guys who were athletes or military, and from poorer states."
Although being tickled usually provokes laughter, science has long been interested in whether it's involuntary. Ten years ago, a study at the University of California at San Diego concluded that tickling did not necessarily produce pleasure, just the outward appearance of it.
Alan J Fridlund, a social and clinical psychologist, points out that whether it's enjoyable or not "depends upon the social context of the tickle. Charles Darwin thought that infant tickling was the basis of adult humour and I agree".
He added: "But the insidious side of tickling is that if the tickler has a perverse motive, they will interpret the reflexive responses to tickling as a sign of approval, even when the social context turns dark.
"As the tickler proceeds, he or she is abetted by the nasty fact that strong tickling begins to cause cataplexy, a generalised weakening of the body's striate muscles, and one that many of us have known if we've been 'tickle tortured'. "
That phrase is repeated by a participant of the tickling videos called TJ, who tells Farrier on camera that he was told taking part "was for a project, as tickling was being considered as a military tactic for the army, tickle torture. I thought that was untrue".
TJ says the reason he did it was "because I was a little desperate for money. I was young at the time and I didn't think anything of it. I would get $2,000.
"On the day, I noticed it was all guys, and I didn't know I would get tied down, but there were athletes there, bodybuilders, a couple of actors I had seen on TV commercials - completely normal people. I still thought, 'I hope no one finds out about this'."
In the documentary, TJ alleges that after the videos surfaced online, he asked them to be taken down, and was subjected to a campaign of abuse and harassment - including emails being sent to his employer at a high school.
The film claims others involved with making tickling videos have suffered controlling and abusive behaviour. However, Jane O'Brien Media strongly denies any wrongdoing.
The director confesses that his own viewpoint on tickling has shifted since making the film - and getting tickled himself for the purpose of making the documentary.
"There is pain in tickling, it's not always enjoyable. You're not laughing in the way you laugh as a joke. It can be used as torture and power play. There's also always one who is dominant, and one who is submissive. It's a metaphor for the power and control we talk about in the film.
"The innocence of it has gone for me - I don't tickle my nieces any more."
The one word to sum up his experience, Farrier adds, is "weird".
"I was completely bemused a lot of the time about  what I was discovered. You couldn't actually make it up. Some people though think we have - they think it's so unbelievable that it's a spoof mockumentary."
Tickled is on release in the UK now
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A Canadian pastor who was sentenced to a life term of hard labour in North Korea for "crimes against the state" in December 2015 has been released, the country's official news agency says.

A statement confirmed 62-year-old Hyeon Soo Lim had been released on humanitarian grounds.
On Tuesday the Canadian government confirmed a delegation had arrived in Pyongyang to discuss Mr Lim's case.
The release comes as tensions mount between the US and Pyongyang.
The Toronto-based pastor, who is of South Korean origin, publically confessed to plotting to overthrow the North Korean government and set up a "religious state".
Mr Lim's family said he had travelled to Pyongyang in January 2015 to build a nursing home, nursery and orphanage.
His church confirmed he had visited the country more than 100 times since 1997.
Because religious activity is banned in North Korea, the authorities periodically detain foreigners for religious or missionary activity, and similar cases have seen staged public confessions from prisoners.
In an interview with CNN in January 2016, Mr Lim described his hard labour sentence. He said he had to dig holes eight hours a day in a camp where he did not see any other detainees.
In June US student Otto Warmbier died six days after being sent home on humanitarian grounds from North Korean imprisonment.
Mr Warmbier returned to the US in a coma with serious brain damage.
Following the American's death, Mr Lim's family increased their calls for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to "change strategy" to help secure his release.


Pedro Caixinha backed Alfredo Morelos to keep on scoring after he netted two in Rangers' 6-0 rout of Dunfermline.

Striker Morelos netted his first goals for the Ibrox side as they progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Bruno Alves and Daniel Candeias also notched maiden Rangers goals with Kenny Miller and James Tavernier getting the other goals.
"He fought for every ball, he was always fighting," manager Caixinha said of 21-year-old Morelos.
"And he was in the right place to score. I think what really pleased me is the anger and the passion he played with.
"That's just two goals I'm sure in a long career of scoring many more goals for Rangers.
"Strikers live on goals and I am pleased my two strikers scored. The levels of confidence make a difference.
"I really enjoyed it tonight. Really pleased with the quality, commitment, pace and rhythm.
"The leadership was good, controlling the game. I have to be pleased with that."
Caixinha's side will visit Partick Thistle in next month's quarter-finals.
Pars boss Allan Johnston admitted the second-tier visitors were "really poor" as they suffered their first defeat in six games this season.
"You can see the quality they've got once they've got their confidence up and start playing, so we made it a long night for us," he added.
"They have got a lot of good players who can hurt you, but we made it easy for them.
"We need to make sure we respond in the right manner.
"This is not going to make or break our season, a game against Rangers.
"We need to get back on track in the Championship, which is where we want to be successful this season."


The main route into a Northumberland town is to close for six weeks, leading to fears of severe congestion.

The A6079 on Hexham's railway bridge will close to vehicles from Monday to allow Network Rail engineers to carry out extensive improvement work.
A spokesman said although it would be "highly disruptive", it would ensure it remained in service for years to come.
Work will include repairing the steelwork and masonry on the bridge, repainting it and resurfacing the road.
Northumberland County Council said the A6079 road would be closed to vehicles from the junction with Alemouth Road to Tyne Mills roundabout. Alemouth Road and the roundabout will remain open throughout.
Pedestrian access will be maintained over the bridge.
A Network Rail spokesman said: "The nature of the road network in this area means that our diversion is a long one and we are sorry for the disruption this will cause.
"Our project team is aware of this and will complete the work as quickly as it is safe to do so."


Northern Ireland's political parties are in intensive discussions to restore power-sharing at Stormont.

Talks began at 14:00 BST and the deadline for a deal is Thursday.
NI Secretary James Brokenshire said there had been intensive engagement on issues such as equality and languages, but the coming hours were crucial.
Stormont parties have been warned that if they cannot reach agreement on restoring the government, direct rule from Westminster could follow.
A sitting of the assembly has been scheduled for Thursday at noon which could involve the election of a first and deputy first minister - but only in the event of a deal.
Key sticking points at the talks include a botched green energy scheme, legislative protections for Irish language speakers, legacy issues and Brexit, says BBC News NI Political Editor Mark Devenport.
Sinn Féin Chairman Declan Kearney said on Tuesday afternoon the DUP had not moved on any fundamental issues, adding that a "free-standing" Irish language act was pivotal to the progress of the talks.
DUP negotiator Edwin Poots encouraged Sinn Féin to "come back from brink" and not engage in "high-wire acts".
If a deal cannot be reached, then a parallel process could take place with Stormont re-established on Thursday while talks continue, he added.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the situation was looking "incredibly bleak".
She said the issues were "entirely surmountable" and it just required the parties to sit around the table and "do business together in a rational and reasonable way".
Negotiations intensified after a separate deal was announced between the Conservatives and the DUP at Westminster, resulting in an extra £1bn in public spending in Northern Ireland.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the agreement would help "boost the economy and invest in new infrastructure".
Sinn Féin said the deal was a "blank cheque for a Tory Brexit" but any money coming to NI was a "good thing".
It has argued Mrs Foster cannot return as First Minister while a public inquiry into a botched green energy scheme is ongoing.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness stood down as deputy first minister in January over Mrs Foster's handling of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, in a move that collapsed the institutions and triggered a snap election in March.
But the parties have failed to restore power sharing since that vote.
Speaking in London on Monday, the DUP's Nigel Dodds said his party wanted to see the executive "up and running" and had set no "red lines, no pre-conditions".
He added: "Let's get on with the job, if Sinn Féin continue to mess about, I think they will pay a heavy price."
Former DUP first minister Peter Robinson said it was "entirely legitimate" for Sinn Féin to press for an Irish Language Act, but called for equal statutory protection for Ulster Scots.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Robin Swann pointed a finger at Sinn Féin for seemingly "causing the stumbling blocks" in negotiations.
"Unless that intensification process delivers today and, I suppose, maybe even later into the night, I think we're not looking at the return of the devolved institutions in this period and I think that's a very dangerous place to be in," he said.
The SDLP's Colin McGrath said his party wanted to see "locally devolved institutions", but that the DUP and Sinn Féin had questions to answer.
"We're constantly told by the DUP and Sinn Féin it can be done in a day, told that the whole way through the process. So we have to ask at this stage, what is taking so long?"
The UK and Irish governments are involved in the Stormont talks as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warned that as parties may have to consult supporters on a deal, talks should be concluded by Wednesday morning.
Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said he was more optimistic than pessimistic that an agreement would be reached.
Mr Varadkar and UK Prime Minister Theresa May spoke on the phone on Tuesday, where they discussed the ongoing talks, and the supply and confidence agreement between the Conservative Party and the DUP.
"The two leaders also spoke about their willingness to continue close cooperation as the UK embarks on leaving the European Union," a No 10 spokesman said.


With the ink dry on the historic peace deal and the new season just days away, Ross Harries assesses fearsome front rows; growling cubs; promises of flair and canny operators ahead of the Welsh regions' campaign in the Guinness Pro12.

The Welsh Pro12 flag-bearers, the Ospreys (along with Leinster) have won this title more than any other side in the league. But they missed out on the play-offs last season, and have suffered some big-name departures.
For so long, the Ospreys pack was a fearsome machine.
A bristling, bruising, snarling mass of controlled aggression and brute strength.
Scrum V's Martyn Williams recently admitted it was a horrible experience playing against them for Cardiff Blues, yet all of a sudden they look like much less of a fearsome proposition.
Adam Jones and Richard Hibbard have gone. Ian Evans - their second row enforcer - has gone and Ryan Jones, Wales' most experienced captain, has gone.
Four Lions have left the pride and in their place? Some young cubs, who Steve Tandy is hoping can find their growl.
The two Nickys - Smith and Thomas - are both highly rated at the Liberty Stadium and may find themselves thrust into the limelight.
Lloyd Peers has already been entrusted with the captaincy during one of the Ospreys' pre-season outings, and he will need to step into the boiler-house breach. In the back row, Dan Baker will be looking to kick on where he left off, especially after he proved to be such a revelation last season.
So a lot of faith has been invested in the new generation, but if there is one man who can galvanise a team, who can drag them along through sheer force of will, it's Alun Wyn Jones. And most importantly, he is still there.
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The Scarlets won their one and only Pro12 title back in 2003, but made the play-offs in the 2012-13 season, and appear to be on an upward curve.
The Scarlets have a new man at the helm - Wayne Pivac - and although he made a journey of 12,000 miles to get here, he knows exactly what he's entered into.
The name "Llanelli" was burned onto his brain when, as a 10-year old, he woke in the middle of the night to listen to his beloved All Blacks being beaten by a club side with a funny name on the other side of the world. It came as no surprise to him to discover that the Stradey Park scoreboard, with 9-3 emblazoned across it, has pride of place in the club shop.
The Scarlets' pack has developed a hard edge in recent seasons, and with world champion boxer Joe Calzaghe's old sparring partner Byron Hayward installed as defence coach, that hard edge could turn into granite.
The fans have long craved a ball-carrying Number 8 in the mould of Quinnell or Ben Morgan. With Rory Pitman announcing himself with a Man of the Match performance in pre-season, and Chris Hala'ufia heading west, they may have found two at the same time.
But Pivac has pledged not to abandon the Scarlets' tradition of flair and enterprise. With a backline containing Scott Williams, Regan King and Jordan Williams, the Parc y Scarlets faithful may not miss Jonathan Davies as much as they feared.
The Blues rallied last season, to put some gloss on a dismal campaign that saw them lose twice to basement boys, Zebre, and part company with director of rugby Phil Davies. But a strong recruitment drive, and a new head coach have led to a surge in optimism at the Arms Park.
Back in 2009, during the first Lions test in South Africa, the tourists' scrum was in all kinds of trouble and they were staring down the barrel of an ugly defeat.
In an attempt to stem the tide, a pair of emergency substitutions were made - Adam Jones and Matthew Rees were brought on to join Gethin Jenkins in the front row.
It changed the entire complexion of the match. That trio became arguably the most fearsome front row in world rugby, and five years later they have been reunited at the Blues. Whether they can resurrect their power of old remains to be seen, but a muscle-bound Rees laid down the gauntlet at the Pro12 launch - warning that the Blues should no longer be considered a soft touch.
Head coach Mark Hammett has been on a charm offensive since his arrival a few weeks ago. The Kiwi has an easy manner and a ready smile, but beneath the surface lurks a darker resolve. I asked him whether the Blues had seen his nasty side yet.
"Not yet" he replied. "But they will, if performances aren't up to scratch". With him and Dale McIntosh in charge, the Blues squad may be terrified into being successful.
And what better way to exorcise their demons than to beat the team that scored an unlikely double over them last season - Zebre are up first for the resurgent Blues.
The Dragons have arguably been busier than the Blues in the spending stakes, with a slew of summer arrivals giving a different complexion to the squad. The Jones Boys, Lyn and Kingsley, will be determined to drive up standards after a ninth-placed finish last season.
In the pair of Jones coaches, the Gwent outfit have two of the canniest operators in the Pro12, and their recruitment drive has been impressive.
The Dragons pack has had something of a callow feel in the past, but not anymore. Brok Harris and Boris Stankovich have arrived to shore up the front row. Ian Gough has returned, and Andy Powell will be determined to put his chequered past behind him as he fights for a place in the back row.
And if evidence were needed of the Dragons new-found up-front grunt, then a pre-season win over English Premiership champions Northampton should surely suffice.
With Lee Byrne and Aled Brew back to bolster the backline, and Tyler Morgan and Jack Dixon ready to announce themselves, the Dragons could be about to rouse from their slumber.
Scrum V live returns on Friday as Ospreys host Treviso in the Guinness Pro12 with the action available on BBC Two Wales, red button and online from 19:30 BST.
The live rugby continues on S4C on Sunday when Clwb Rygbi brings you Cardiff Blues' first competitive game of the season against Zebre, with coverage beginning at 15:45 BST.
Highlights of the weekend's action will be on Scrum V on Sunday, BBC Two Wales from 18:45 BST.


Greyhound racing will be banned in the Australian state of New South Wales after "horrific" evidence of widespread animal cruelty was uncovered.

A government investigation found overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and "live baiting".
The state government said it would work towards a ban from 1 July 2017.
"We are left with no acceptable course of action except to close this industry down," Premier Mike Baird said.
In recent years, the sport has enjoyed a resurgence across the country. Prize money has sky-rocketed and more than Â£2bn ($2.6bn) a year is wagered on races.
"I feel much empathy for innocent trainers and those who will lose their job or hobby as a result of this," Mr Baird said.
"But we simply cannot and will not standby and allow the widespread and systemic mistreatment of animals."
The legislation to stop greyhound racing will still need to pass through state parliament and is also likely face legal action from the racing industry.
"Today is an extremely sad day for the NSW greyhound racing industry and the people involved in it," Greyhound Racing NSW said in a statement.
An ABC Four Corners report aired last year showed piglets, possums and rabbits being chased and killed by dogs in training sessions.
Four Australian states - NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania - subsequently launched inquiries into greyhound racing.
Dozens of trainers were suspended. Some were banned from ever participating in the sport again and others charged under animal cruelty laws.
"This day is historic," said RSPCA NSW chief executive Steven Coleman.
"It's monumental. And I can only hope that reverberates around the country."


A witness has told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry that he was sexually abused by older boys at a children's home in Londonderry.

He also told the inquiry that the home, Termonbacca, was "run on starvation".
The children's home and another in Derry, Nazareth House, were run by the Sisters of Nazareth.
The Historical Abuse Inquiry is investigating abuse claims against children's residential institutions from 1922 to 1995.
The witness lived in Termonbacca in the 1950s and 1960s after being given to a priest by his mother.
He said the nuns gave the responsibility of looking after the younger boys to the older ones.
He said he was battered with a brush while he slept and said the older boys called out the names of children at night, had them stripped and used them "for their own entertainment".
The witness said he often pretended to be asleep, but had been abused a couple of times in this way.
He claimed the nuns never checked on them, but must have heard the names being called.
He also described being abused by a group of older boys in a laundry room.
He referred to one nun as "evil and  hateful" with a built-in anger, who had made him kneel for hours until the blood stopped flowing to his knees.
He told the inquiry he was constantly hungry, fainting during Mass and that the home was run on starvation.
The inquiry, being held in Banbridge, County Down, is chaired by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart and is considering cases in 13 residential institutions.
Public hearings are due to finish in June 2015, with the inquiry team to report to the Northern Ireland Executive by the start of 2016.


In the august London-clubland surroundings of the Royal Society and Lancaster House, a high-level conference has taken place this week.

Westminster politics, scientific research and diplomatic matters have not been on the agenda.
Instead, this international gathering was all about making hospitals safer.
The patient safety conference was the first such global meeting of its kind led by ministers.
At the centre of the discussions was a striking figure - there are apparently one million deaths every year around the world caused by medical mistakes.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who co-hosted the conference with his German counterpart, said the figure for such avoidable deaths in England was about 150 a week.
"We need," he told the conference, "to ask what is blocking the development of the supportive, learning culture we need to make our hospitals as safe as they should be".
Much progress had been made in England, said Mr Hunt, since the Mid-Staffordshire scandal, with a tougher inspection regime playing a part.
But change was still needed, with a move away from a "blame" culture, he added.
New measures were unveiled by the secretary of state to try to achieve this shift, including tougher legal protection for NHS whistleblowers, and staff participating in internal trust investigations and enquiries on safety incidents mounted by external agencies.
The airline industry is widely quoted in this context.
Journalist Matthew Syed, author of Black Box Thinking, spoke at the conference. He referred to an accident which changed the safety culture in aviation.
A crash in the 1970s which left 10 dead was blamed on the pilot failing to notice that his plane was dangerously low on fuel.
But at the time, he was dealing with another potentially lethal problem with the landing gear.
Colleagues either had not noticed or for whatever reason did not tell him about the fuel issue.
The lesson was that there had to be much more open discussion, with the most junior team members encouraged to speak up.
Airlines have transformed safety training and reduced accidents. Now there is a push to take health in the same direction.
The newly-announced policies include a health-safety investigation agency following the precedent of the Air Accident Investigation Branch.
A crucial part of its brief will be to hold "no-blame" investigations.
That is where the legal protection aspect is so important. Staff will know they can speak frankly about hospital incidents without fear of their evidence being used against them.
Central to this philosophy is the idea of continuous improvement and that however senior a clinician or manager may be, there is always scope to test procedures and experiment with new ways of working.
Ministers believe that the NHS delivers world-class performance in many areas - but must be honest about those failures which do happen.
Openness about safety and rectifying mistakes must be embedded in everyday working, they say.
Jason Leitch, who heads the patient safety programme at NHS Scotland, was also at the conference. He says there has been 16.5% drop in hospital mortality rates since the programme was started in 2007.
Some at the conference see the renewed safety drive by the Department of Health as a watershed moment.
But Peter Walsh, of Action against Medical Accidents, has questioned the protection against future litigation for NHS staff giving evidence to investigations.
He argues this will mean patients who have suffered because of mistakes could be denied access to justice.
Junior doctors out on picket lines in England this week have also criticised the government's credentials on safety because, in their view, a new contract is being imposed with weaker safeguards on working hours.
Mr Hunt has made transparency and honesty over safety in the NHS one of his mantras.
It is his chosen agenda rather than the growing pressures on A&E and other declining performance issues also highlighted this week.
The patient safety conference and pronouncements will ultimately have to be judged against outcomes.


A former East Sussex town councillor has been jailed for 20 years for attempting to murder his wife.

Joseph O'Riordan, 74, an ex-councillor in Polegate, stabbed Amanda, 47, several times with a kitchen knife at their home in October 2014.
He had denied intending to kill her but was convicted by a jury at Brighton Magistrates' Court.
Sentencing, Judge Shani Barnes said: "I believe you did it to punish her and to stop her leaving you."
Mr O'Riordan had begun monitoring his wife's movements, e-mail and phone messages because he believed she was having an affair, the court heard.
The judge described a "sustained and repeated" attack in which O'Riordan "used his full strength and determination to try to kill" his wife.
"You picked the largest knife, and in a callous nature you thrust it into her.  She screamed and begged you to stop."
After the attack, O'Riordan called 999 and his wife later underwent six hours of emergency surgery.
Judge Barnes said she did not believe she had seen genuine remorse from O'Riordan, adding: "I have watched you every minute of this trial, and I've seen nothing.  Absolutely nothing."
She spoke of Amanda's physical scars and also the "terrible, long-lasting psychological trauma" she has been left with.
The judge also revealed that O'Riordan had made attempts after his arrest to have his son remove evidence that would be incriminating - information which not been shared with the jury during the trial.
The defence did not put forward any evidence during the trial, which was held at the magistrates court due to a lack of space at Hove Crown Court.
O'Riordan had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of wounding with intent, but this was rejected by prosecutors.
He will serve at least half of his 20 year sentence and was also given a restraining order.


Rickie Fowler won the Honda Classic in Florida to claim his first victory in 13 months.

The world number 18 had not won on the PGA Tour since the Deutsche Bank Championship in September 2015.
He started the day with a four-shot lead, and finished with a 12-under total of 268, four shots ahead of Morgan Hoffmann and Gary Woodland.
"My putter saved me. It was tough out there today and I fought as hard as I could," said the 25-year-old.
"I felt like I hit a lot of shots that I thought would turn out good. The wind was heavy today, it was blowing pretty good so it kept us on our toes.
"The two birdies I made on 12 and 13, if I didn't make them it would have been a pretty tight race."
His win means he moves to 10th in the FedExCup after his fourth career victory.
England's Tyrrell Hatton, who started the day in second place, carded a two-over 72 to finish in a large group sharing fourth on seven under.


A family of beaver could be released into a fenced area of the Forest of Dean as soon as September.

The Forestry Commission wants to release the animals into a 16-acre area by the Greathough Brook, near Brierley.
It is hoped they will dam the stream to create new wildlife habitats and reduce the flood risk around Lydbrook.
Beavers were hunted to near-extinction for their highly valuable fur and oil, but have survived in captivity.
Their reintroduction, as part of a three-year trial, would be be the first time the animals have been seen in the Forest for 400 years.
In other areas of the UK where beavers live wild some farmers have complained of damage to their land, but the Forestry Commission says there is no chance of that happening in the Forest.
"The trial here is going to be fenced to stop boar getting in and stop the beavers getting out," said spokesman Kevin Stannard.
"We are well embedded on the public forest estate so there is, I would say, absolutely no chance of the beavers escaping, or if they do escape, getting out onto surrounding farmland."


A handcuffed suspect who escaped from custody by climbing an 8ft (2.4m) fence has been recaptured.

Aurimas Butkys ran off shortly after he entered Boston Police Station in Lincolnshire on Thursday.
Lincolnshire Police, who described the escape as "an embarrassing event", said Mr Butkys was detained in Kent on Sunday.
The 25-year-old was arrested on an extradition warrant in connection with an assault in Lithuania.
More on this and other local stories from across Lincolnshire
It is also alleged Mr Butkys assaulted a police officer during his escape.
The force said inquires were ongoing into the escape and the assault.
Describing the escape as "embarrassing", Supt Phil Vickers previously said: "Officers have to make an assessment as to what the proportionate use of force is against someone who has been arrested - and in this case we got it wrong."