Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Paragraph: 28
Support Ofsted in making a case for additional Treasury funding for in-depth inspections.
Conclusion
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.
Government Response 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.
Paragraph Reference:
28
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We very much welcome the Committee’s commitment to supporting us in asking for additional funding for more in-depth inspections (through Recommendation 4). We know how vital inspection is: the sooner we can diagnose weaknesses and celebrate strengths, the sooner schools can act and get the support they need. The more frequently and in-depth we can look at a school, the more reassurance we can give parents that their child is learning in an environment where they can flourish. As an example, we could inspect schools in greater depth by ensuring that every inspection is led by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and that the inspection team has an additional inspector on the team. This change would provide a number of additional benefits, including allowing for more time to explore the school’s unique approach or allowing for a dedicated focus on a national priority area on every inspection. Delivering this additional depth in school inspections would have a direct cost of £8.5 million per year. Nearly all of the other recommendations fall to the DfE (Recommendations 4, 14, 16, 18 to 19, 26 and 28), and we commit to engaging with them on all relevant matters. We note that Recommendation 19 is not a matter for Ofsted.