Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
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There is general agreement among teachers, school leaders, parents, teaching unions and other organisations on...
Conclusion
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.
Government Response 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.
Paragraph Reference:
14
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
An important part of our response to both the coroner and the Committee (and in particular Recommendation 1 in the Committee's report), is our Big Listen, which we formally launched on Friday 8 March 2024. This is an opportunity for us to hear from the people we work for – parents, carers and their children – and the professionals we work with, such as teachers and social workers. We will also listen to Ofsted’s 4,367 full- and part-time staff. We want as many people as possible to have their say. The Big Listen will help us to explore what further steps we can take to improve inspection and regulation in the future. We are grateful to the Committee for its constructive challenge and recommendations. As an organisation, we are keen to hear criticism and we welcome advice about how to improve. We are determined to be a modern, world-class inspectorate and regulator that is trusted by parents, children, learners and professionals working in education and social care. We can only achieve that ambition with openness to criticism and a determination to reflect on how we can continuously improve. The majority of recommendations will be explored through our ‘Big Listen’ (Recommendations 1, 3, 5 to 8, 10, 13, 20 to 22 and 24 to 25). We look forward to hearing the sector’s, and the public’s, views on these important matters, and will take action immediately after the Big Listen concludes.