All posts tagged: Ofsted

Ofsted chief Oliver faces new year committee grilling

Ofsted chief Oliver faces new year committee grilling

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Sir Martyn Oliver to face MPs over progress in addressing coroner’s concerns following death of Ruth Perry Sir Martyn Oliver to face MPs over progress in addressing coroner’s concerns following death of Ruth Perry More from this theme Recent articles MPs will question Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver next week on the watchdog’s progress in addressing concerns raised by a coroner following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Oliver, who has just marked one year in the role, will appear in front of the Parliamentary education committee on Tuesday, alongside national education director Lee Owston and national regulation and social care director Yvette Stanley. Just weeks before Oliver took the helm, a coroner ruled that an inspection at Caversham Primary School, Reading, had contributed to the death of Perry in 2022. At the time, coroner Heidi Connor warned there was a “risk of future deaths if there is only lip service paid to learning from tragedies like this”. The committee said it would “scrutinise Sir Martyn’s progress in addressing the coroner’s concerns, implementing the …

Ofsted to trial ‘new approach to inspections’ next term

Ofsted to trial ‘new approach to inspections’ next term

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Ofsted also publishes first monitoring report on Big Listen promises as it ploughs ahead with inspection reform Ofsted also publishes first monitoring report on Big Listen promises as it ploughs ahead with inspection reform More from this theme Recent articles Trials for a “new approach” to inspections will start in the first week of next term, Ofsted has announced as it ploughs ahead with reform despite sector concerns over moving too quickly. The trial will involve visits to a “small number of volunteer schools” to “informally test elements of the proposed inspection framework”, the inspectorate said. It will come before a consultation on introducing new report card inspections is launched later in January. Later in the term, and in “parallel with the consultation”, Ofsted will then “formally pilot the new approach in schools” as well as other education providers. These pilots will help to refine and improve Ofsted’s proposals”. Following consultation, and any changes to the proposed approach, Ofsted will run further pilot inspections of a range of volunteer providers to test the final model, it said. But Paul …

Is Ofsted right to fear its rise?

Is Ofsted right to fear its rise?

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More from this theme Recent articles Ofsted sounded the alarm last week over ‘flexi-schooling’. But what is it, how many schools do it, and should we be worried? Schools Week investigates… What is flexi-schooling? The only official advice on ‘flexi-schooling’ is in government guidance on home education. This says flexi-schooling can help “provide education [for home-schooled children] in specific subjects more easily than is possible at home”. But, in practice, it seems schools are using flexi-schooling as a tool to help children with special needs, school refusers, or those at risk of emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA) from dropping out of the classroom. Sir Martyn Oliver It’s for parents to ask schools for such arrangements, and heads have discretion on whether to agree. Data on its use is sparse. When learning from home, flexi-schooled children should be marked as authorised absent on registers. Chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver last week said this makes him “very concerned” as Ofsted “don’t have a proper handle on it”, adding: “We’re not able to track how many children are …

How academy trusts parachute in central teams

How academy trusts parachute in central teams

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More from this theme Recent articles Trust bosses have defended parachuting in central team staff to their schools during Ofsted inspections after the union representing inspectors raised “significant concerns”. Last month Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief, claimed some trust leaders were “putting pressure” on inspectors and making inspections “more adversarial”. Two trusts sent in seven extra staff, Schools Week has found. Another flooded one of its schools with 25. Inspectors say the practice is impacting their ability to evaluate “normal practice” at schools. One critic likened it to gaming. But trusts say separating central leaders and schools “completely misunderstands” the point of MATs, stressing they are the same organisation. Extra support helps limit disruption and supports school staff, they say. Schools Week investigates… What are the different approaches? Ofsted said it expects to “see a school as it operates on any other day”, with inspectors expected to meet staff directly responsible for management and governance. “As a minimum” this would include a trust’s chief executive. But inspectors “will recognise” that this could be more than one …

Ofsted chair Dame Christine Ryan to step down

Ofsted chair Dame Christine Ryan to step down

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Education secretary praises Ryan for leadership during ‘a period of significant challenges’ Education secretary praises Ryan for leadership during ‘a period of significant challenges’ More from this theme Recent articles Dame Christine Ryan, chair of the board of Ofsted, has announced she will step down next year. The Department for Education will begin a formal process to find a successor shortly and Ryan will stay on in the interim to ensure a “smooth and orderly transition”, the watchdog said. In a statement, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, thanked Ryan for her leadership since taking up the post in 2020. Bridget Phillipson “Christine has led the Ofsted board as chair during a period of significant challenges, including the unprecedented demands of the pandemic,” Phillipson said. “Over the past four years, she has overseen critical initiatives, including reviews of board effectiveness, a substantial renewal of board membership, a successful transition to a new Chief Inspector, supported Ofsted’s Big Listen, the largest public consultation in its history, and conducted a comprehensive review of Ofsted’s corporate governance arrangements.” Ofsted …

Ofsted bids goodbye to ‘state of the nation’ schools measure

Ofsted bids goodbye to ‘state of the nation’ schools measure

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The Ofsted ‘state of the nation’ metric became a regular soundbite for Conservative education ministers boasting about the supposed success of their reforms – despite repeated warnings the statistic was misleading. But following an end to headline Ofsted grades in September, the watchdog has confirmed it is now retiring the measure, which showed the increasing number of schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. Nine in ten schools are now rated ‘good’ or better, data published today shows, up from 86 per cent when the current framework was introduced and 68 per cent in 2010.  The previous government frequently trumpeted that rise, despite repeated warnings – including from the statistics watchdog – about how misleading they are (particularly because the decade rise covered different inspection frameworks). Ofsted’s “big listen” consultation earlier this year found just 13 per cent of respondents from schools agreed the measure was “truly reflective of the overall quality of the sector”.  Now Ofsted has launched its own broadside at the metric, as it considers what a replacement might look like when new report cards launch next autumn.  …

Ofsted ITT inspections ‘postponed until January 2026’

Ofsted ITT inspections ‘postponed until January 2026’

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ITT Ofsted inspections are set to be postponed this year, Schools Week understands, as new reforms introduced in September bed in ITT Ofsted inspections are set to be postponed this year, Schools Week understands, as new reforms introduced in September bed in More from this theme Recent articles Ofsted inspections of initial teacher training providers are set to be postponed for this academic year, Schools Week understands. The ITT inspection cycle is due to start in January, but the inspectorate and the Department for Education are poised to announce this will be pushed back until January 2026, Schools Week understands. Earlier this month, this paper revealed that Ofsted was in talks with the government over pushing back the start of the ITT inspection cycle. NASBTT and the Universities Council for the Education Of Teachers have been lobbying for ITT inspections to be delayed until the 2025-2026 academic year, amid a slew of incoming Ofsted inspection framework changes following reforms introduced in September. Providers are still waiting for promised guidance on how inspectors would assess these changes. And …

Backlash over leaked report card plans

Backlash over leaked report card plans

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More from this theme Recent articles Proposals for new Ofsted report cards will be too confusing for parents and could spawn a “whole new host of issues”, leaders say, after leaked plans last week caused widespread kickback. A slide obtained by the Financial Times showed schools could be judged on a sliding, five-point scale from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concerns’ across 10 evaluation areas. But the proposals were widely mocked, being dubbed “Ofsted numberwang” and likened to the Nando’s fast-food outlet’s “peri-ometer” for how spicy its chicken is. 10 judgments, 5 ratings The proposal was presented to school leaders last week. Slides showed schools being rated in 10 areas: curriculum, teaching, achievement, leadership, behaviour and values, attendance, preparation for next steps, opportunities to thrive, inclusion and belonging and safeguarding. They would be rated on a five-point scale from ‘exemplary’, ‘strong practice’, ‘secure’, ‘attention needed’, down to ‘causing concern’. In the slide, the ratings were depicted with colour codes ranging from red to purple. Source Financial Times There are conflicting reports about whether Ofsted has settled on …

Ofsted ITT inspections ‘postponed until January 2026’

Ofsted promises report cards will be ‘sensible middle ground’

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Ofsted’s national director also signals move back to ‘looking more at statutory outcomes’ Ofsted’s national director also signals move back to ‘looking more at statutory outcomes’ More from this theme Recent articles The national director for education at Ofsted has promised to a find a “sensible middle ground” on the incoming national report card system. Lee Owston told leaders at the Schools and Academies Show today not to believe everything they read, after Ofsted report card proposals leaked to the press last week. Proposals leaked to the Financial Times indicated schools could be judged on a sliding five-point scale from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’, against 10 evaluation areas including teaching, achievement, inclusion and preparation for next steps. Owston told attendees in Birmingham: “You would expect me to be putting every single option available to me on the table so that I can have a debate with the right individuals, and those elements that sit at the extremes of what we might want to do are dismissed. “I’m narrowing down all of the time to get …

SEND delays ‘making children vulnerable’ to violence t

SEND delays ‘making children vulnerable’ to violence t

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More from this theme Recent articles Delays in assessing SEND needs and issuing education, health and care plans “is making children more vulnerable” to serious youth violence and putting them at greater risk of harm, inspectors have warned.  A group of inspectorates including Ofsted warned there was evidence of a link between “SEND and an increased risk of exploitation” and violence. Children wait “too long” for needs to be assessed, then face delays in access to support services and variation in the quality and timeliness of EHCPs. A new report on agencies’ responses to serious youth violence said these factors were “making children more vulnerable”, because “problems can escalate while they wait for an assessment or support”.  Delays in assessing needs “are putting these children at greater risk of harm”.  Of the 36 children whose experiences they tracked in detail, 16 had a diagnosis of a disability and/or an EHCP. A further 15 had additional needs identified and were waiting for an assessment.  In three of the areas visited by inspectors, children had to wait …