An inquiry conducted by UK MPs has concluded that Ofsted needs reform and that the government should pay attention to widespread calls to change the single-word judgement. The report cites concerns raised by the inquest into head teacher Ruth Perry’s suicide, which concluded that an Ofsted inspection “contributed” to her death. The report also highlighted the “general agreement” among school leaders, teachers, parents, and others on the need for an independent inspectorate and “strong accountability” in schools.
Ofsted, or the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services, and Skills, inspects and reports on establishments that provide education for young people in England, including schools, nurseries, and childminders. These establishments are generally inspected every four years or 30 months depending on their status and then graded according to the following: outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate. Many parents rely on Ofsted ratings to help them select a school or nursery for their child.
The report also highlighted the fact that schools rated as good or outstanding used to be assessed every four years, but routine inspections for outstanding schools ceased in 2011 so that resources could focus on poorly performing institutions. However, in 2020, Ofsted resumed routine inspections of outstanding schools to ensure that parents had more current information. Ofsted plans to reinspect the approximately 3,400 outstanding schools in England by the summer of 2025. The most recent data from Ofsted showed that from September to December of 2023 of the outstanding schools evaluated, 47% retained their status, 48% were downgraded to good, and 4% needed improvement.
Critics of the present system have called for a “nuanced system that can provide value to both schools and parents.” Several teaching unions, including the NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders, and the National Education Union, would like the current grading system replaced. Last year, an inquiry, Beyond Ofsted, called for “transformational change” of the whole system of school inspections. Meanwhile, both Estyn in Wales and the body responsible for inspecting Church of England schools have deviated from a single-grade approach, and the Labour Party in England has recently suggested moving to a report card system that would replace the current grades with more detailed information about school performance.
The Department for Education (DfE) claims that inspections are “hugely important” and a “legal requirement” that “hold schools to account for their educational standards.” After an inspection, schools that are graded as good or outstanding are reinspected every four years, while those that require improvement receive another inspection within 30 months. Adequately inadequate schools become sponsored academies and are supported by another outstanding school or charity. Following an inspection, head teachers who believe there is a problem with their rating may file a complaint. A senior inspector who was not involved in the original inspection handles complaints
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