Robert George Alexander Balchin, Baron Lingfield, DL KStJ (born 31 July 1942) is a British educationalist, noted as an advocate and pioneer for school autonomy.
Lord Lingfield was chairman of the Grant-Maintained Schools Centre (formerly Foundation) from 1989 until 1999.
His schools initiative was proclaimed by The Daily Telegraph's deputy editor, Benedict Brogan, as: "[being the] first and, as time passes, perhaps the most important legislative milestone achieved by the Coalition".
[2] Knighted in 1993,[3] becoming styled as Sir Robert Balchin, he was raised to the peerage as a Life Peer on 17 December 2010 as Baron Lingfield, of Lingfield in the County of Surrey.
[4][5] He sits on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords, and he speaks in parliament mainly on education matters.