Home / Sources / Select Committees / Education Committee / Ofsted’s work with schools
Index live
Select Committee · Education Committee

Ofsted’s work with schools

Status: Closed Opened: 9 Jun 2023 Closed: 24 May 2024 8 recommendations 41 conclusions 1 report

The Education Committee has launched an inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools. The inquiry aims to assess how well Ofsted is fulfilling its role in inspecting schools and whether and how it could be improved, to inform the work of the incoming His Majesty’s Chief Inspector. The inquiry will look at the impact of Ofsted … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Ofsted’s work with schools HC 117 29 Jan 2024 49 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
6 Conclusion First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo… Rejected

Reduce Ofsted inspection frequency for schools to enable greater depth and better risk assessment.

In the shorter term, the Department should work with Ofsted to enable the inspectorate to reduce the frequency of inspections to approximately five to six years for ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools and three to four years for schools judged ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’. This should be supported by better use … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states that inspection frequency is set by legislation, arguing that the current 5-year interval provides reassurance to parents and that less frequent inspections could reduce standards. While the "Big Listen" will explore these issues, they do not commit to the recommended reduction in …
Read full response →
Department for Education
17 Recommendation First Report - Ofsted’s work with schoo… Rejected

Commission independent assessment of factors affecting retention of experienced Ofsted HMIs.

We recognise the value and expertise that experienced inspectors can bring, particularly long-serving HMIs. Ofsted should commission an independent assessment of the factors affecting retention of experienced HMIs and take appropriate steps to address the issue. Read more

Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation to commission an independent assessment, stating it already understands HMI retention factors and does not believe it would be a good use of public money, citing salary constraints and workload as known issues.
Read full response →
Department for Education

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
8 Nov 2023 Amanda Spielman · Ofsted, Juliet Chua · Department for Education, Rt Hon Nick Gibb · Department for Education View ↗
24 Oct 2023 Carole Willis · National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), Dr Bernardita Munoz Chereau · UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, Dr Sam Sims · UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, Natalie Perera · Education Policy Institute, Sir Michael Wilshaw, Former HMCI, The Rt Hon. the Lord Knight of Weymouth · Beyond Ofsted inquiry View ↗
17 Oct 2023 Charlotte Rainer · Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Daniel Kebede · National Education Union, Ian Hartwright · National Association of Head Teachers, Jason Elsom · Parentkind, Sam Henson · National Governance Association, Steve Rollett · Confederation of School Trusts, Tom Middlehurst · Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) View ↗

Who gave evidence

16 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Amanda Spielman · His Majesty's Chief Inspector Ofsted 1
Carole Willis · Chief Executive National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 1
Charlotte Rainer · Coalition Lead Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition 1
Daniel Kebede · General Secretary National Education Union 1
Dr Bernardita Munoz Chereau · Lecturer UCL Centre for Educational Leadership 1
Dr Sam Sims · Lecturer UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities 1
Ian Hartwright · Head of Policy National Association of Head Teachers 1
Jason Elsom · Chief Executive Parentkind 1
Juliet Chua · Director General for Schools Department for Education 1
Natalie Perera · Chief Executive Education Policy Institute 1
Rt Hon Nick Gibb · Minister of State for Schools Department for Education 1
Sam Henson · Director of Policy and Communications National Governance Association 1
Sir Michael Wilshaw, Former HMCI — 1
Steve Rollett · Deputy Chief Executive Confederation of School Trusts 1
The Rt Hon. the Lord Knight of Weymouth · Former Schools Minister and Chair Beyond Ofsted inquiry 1
Tom Middlehurst · Deputy Director of Policy Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) 1