Recommendations & Conclusions
12 items
1
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
There is general agreement among teachers, school leaders, parents, teaching unions and other organisations on the important role that an independent inspectorate plays, and on the need for strong accountability for schools. However, it is clear that relations between Ofsted and the school sector, teachers, and leaders have become extremely …
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There is general agreement among teachers, school leaders, parents, teaching unions and other organisations on the important role that an independent inspectorate plays, and on the need for strong accountability for schools. However, it is clear that relations between Ofsted and the school sector, teachers, and leaders have become extremely strained and that trust in the inspectorate is worryingly low. There is a perception that Ofsted has become more defensive of its practices in recent years and is unwilling to listen and be open to change. The appointment of the new HMCI provides a crucial opportunity to reset and restore these relations and doing so should be a key priority for the new HMCI in his first year in post. We welcome Sir Martyn Oliver’s proposal to conduct a “Big Listen” with the sector and hope that this will lead to tangible changes.
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Government response AI summary
The government confirms the launch of the "Big Listen" initiative, outlining its scope to gather feedback from various stakeholders to inform future improvements in inspection and regulation, with a commitment to taking action immediately after it concludes.
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Department for Education
2
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
Following the tragic death of Ruth Perry, Ofsted has taken some steps to address the concerns raised about the school inspection process. The changes announced are welcome but these announcements, in and of themselves, do not appear to have alleviated concerns and restored Ofsted’s relations with the sector. Ofsted must …
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Following the tragic death of Ruth Perry, Ofsted has taken some steps to address the concerns raised about the school inspection process. The changes announced are welcome but these announcements, in and of themselves, do not appear to have alleviated concerns and restored Ofsted’s relations with the sector. Ofsted must ensure that they are the beginning, not the end, of a process of listening and reforming. Ofsted must also give careful consideration to the coroner’s judgement and the Prevention of Future Deaths report issued following the inquest into the death of Ruth Perry.
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Government response AI summary
The government committed to appointing an independent expert this month to lead a learning review of Ofsted’s response to Ruth Perry's death, considering policy revisions, and will respond to these recommendations as part of the Big Listen.
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Department for Education
3
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
In his “Big Listen” with the sector, the new HMCI must ensure that he is listening to a wide range of views, including those of teachers, school and trust leaders, governors, parents, and pupils. In doing this, he must ensure that Ofsted is genuinely open to engage and willing to …
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In his “Big Listen” with the sector, the new HMCI must ensure that he is listening to a wide range of views, including those of teachers, school and trust leaders, governors, parents, and pupils. In doing this, he must ensure that Ofsted is genuinely open to engage and willing to reflect on where it needs to improve.
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Government response AI summary
The government states the "Big Listen" was launched to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including parents, professionals, and Ofsted staff, emphasizing openness to criticism and a commitment to reflect and learn from diverse views.
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Department for Education
7
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
In the longer term, the Department should support Ofsted in making a strong case to the Treasury for additional funding to carry out more in-depth inspections, without compromising on frequency or the principle that all schools are subject to periodic inspection. Funding for Ofsted should not be seen to be …
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In the longer term, the Department should support Ofsted in making a strong case to the Treasury for additional funding to carry out more in-depth inspections, without compromising on frequency or the principle that all schools are subject to periodic inspection. Funding for Ofsted should not be seen to be in competition with school funding, and any additional funding for the inspectorate must not result in less funding being made available for schools.
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Government response AI summary
The government welcomes the committee's support for seeking additional funding for more in-depth inspections and outlines how such funding could be used, including a cost estimate of £8.5 million per year.
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Department for Education
9
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
Ofsted should consider the case for a small increase in the notice period given to schools—we heard suggestions that around five working days would be appropriate. The notice period should remain relatively short in order to limit the pressure on leaders and avoid a situation where schools are spending a …
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Ofsted should consider the case for a small increase in the notice period given to schools—we heard suggestions that around five working days would be appropriate. The notice period should remain relatively short in order to limit the pressure on leaders and avoid a situation where schools are spending a long time preparing for inspection, but should be long enough to ensure that waiting for an inspection does not cause undue difficulties in the way schools operate. Ofsted should also consider whether schools could be given a specific term in which to anticipate an inspection.
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Government response AI summary
The government states the "Big Listen" will carefully consider potential changes to notice periods for schools, including the suggested increase and offering a specific inspection term, affirming that nothing is off the table for discussion.
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Department for Education
10
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
Ofsted should consider whether smaller schools could be given a longer notice period or greater flexibility around deferrals to take into account the particular operational challenges they face during inspections.
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the challenges faced by small primary schools and commits to considering the proposal for longer notice periods or greater flexibility for them during the "Big Listen," despite initial concerns about fair implementation.
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Department for Education
15
Recommendation
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
Ofsted should publish data on HMIs’ and contracted Ofsted inspectors’ expertise regarding phase of education and subject, and the proportion of inspections led by at least one inspector with the relevant phase expertise.
Government response AI summary
The government states it has already taken action regarding this recommendation by further developing existing inspector pen portraits to describe expertise within the workforce.
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Department for Education
24
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
As a first step, Ofsted and Department for Education websites should always show the full list of judgements, not just the overall judgement, and encourage schools to do the same on their websites and published materials.
Government response AI summary
The government states it is actively working on new policies and practices, including making changes to its website to show the full range of judgements rather than just overall effectiveness grades, directly addressing the recommendation.
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Department for Education
27
Recommendation
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
The Department and Ofsted should review the support mechanisms available to school leaders during and following an inspection and ensure that these are as strong as possible to support the wellbeing of school leaders. Ofsted must publish a clear policy, and train inspectors, on their approach to dealing with distress …
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The Department and Ofsted should review the support mechanisms available to school leaders during and following an inspection and ensure that these are as strong as possible to support the wellbeing of school leaders. Ofsted must publish a clear policy, and train inspectors, on their approach to dealing with distress among school leaders during an inspection, and in what cases inspections can and should be paused or deferred. We note that lessons could be learned from Ofsted’s approach to deferring inspections in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, but deferrals alone are not enough to resolve this issue.
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Government response AI summary
The government has provided mental health awareness training for all lead inspectors and committed to ensuring all inspection staff complete it by March 2024. They have also published a new policy allowing inspection pauses for headteacher support, directly addressing key aspects of the recommendation.
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Department for Education
44
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of every school’s work. We agree that there is merit in schools being audited more regularly for compliance with safeguarding procedures, especially as we are recommending that some schools be inspected less frequently than is currently the case. However, we still see a role for …
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Safeguarding is an essential aspect of every school’s work. We agree that there is merit in schools being audited more regularly for compliance with safeguarding procedures, especially as we are recommending that some schools be inspected less frequently than is currently the case. However, we still see a role for Ofsted in ensuring that schools are identifying and acting on serious safeguarding concerns and especially making an effective contribution to child protection.
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Government response AI summary
The government has already clarified what constitutes 'ineffective safeguarding', implemented rapid re-inspections for schools graded inadequate due to safeguarding, and is conducting a formal review into making safeguarding a standalone judgment.
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Department for Education
45
Conclusion
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
The inquest into the death of Ruth Perry also raised concerns about the policy of judging a school ‘inadequate’ solely due to safeguarding. We accept that this only applies to a small number of schools and that Ofsted has taken some steps towards mitigating this issue through quicker re-inspections. Conducting …
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The inquest into the death of Ruth Perry also raised concerns about the policy of judging a school ‘inadequate’ solely due to safeguarding. We accept that this only applies to a small number of schools and that Ofsted has taken some steps towards mitigating this issue through quicker re-inspections. Conducting more regular safeguarding audits should also help to reduce the number of schools to which this applies. However, it should never be the case that schools in this situation are judged as ‘inadequate’, and receive an academy order, solely due to minor administrative errors capable of being resolved within a short space of time.
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Government response AI summary
The government has clarified that a school will only be judged to have ineffective safeguarding when children are not safe, and has implemented rapid re-inspections for such cases, aiming to prevent 'inadequate' judgments for minor administrative errors. They are also reviewing the framework to potentially …
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Department for Education
47
Recommendation
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo…
Accepted
In the interim, Ofsted should review its policy on ‘inadequate’ judgements due to ineffective safeguarding and ensure that schools are only being judged ‘inadequate’ in cases where they are fundamentally failing to keep children safe. In cases where the problems are uncomplicated and can be resolved within a short space …
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In the interim, Ofsted should review its policy on ‘inadequate’ judgements due to ineffective safeguarding and ensure that schools are only being judged ‘inadequate’ in cases where they are fundamentally failing to keep children safe. In cases where the problems are uncomplicated and can be resolved within a short space of time, the Department should not issue an academy order until after the school has been reinspected.
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Government response AI summary
The government has clarified that a school will only be judged 'inadequate' due to safeguarding if children are not safe, and has implemented rapid re-inspections to allow schools to remedy issues before formal intervention, directly addressing the recommendation.
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Department for Education