Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 58
Ofsted inspectors' lack of phase-specific expertise hinders effective assessment and feedback.
Conclusion
We are concerned that the lack of relevant phase-specific expertise among inspectors appears to be a widespread problem, particularly in primary schools and in specialist education settings. A high-quality inspection regime must ensure that inspectors have sufficient expertise to be able to accurately assess the quality of provision and offer useful feedback. We welcome the incoming HMCI’s call for more school leaders to move into inspection and hope that this will be reflected in recruitment of HMIs with expertise across all types of school. However, the Committee felt that Ofsted had not provided sufficient evidence to reassure that it was prioritising relevant expertise in all inspection teams.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of matching inspector expertise to the phase of education inspected and expresses an ambition to improve this, including discussing the issue further through the 'Big Listen'.
Paragraph Reference:
58
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
A modern, world-class inspectorate and regulator that is trusted by parents, children, learners and professionals working in education and social care requires the highest possible calibre of practitioners from the sector to choose to join it. We are determined to be an organisation of the sector, by the sector, for children, learners and parents. It is our ambition to match expertise to inspection wherever possible, as suggested in Recommendation 10 (in the Committee's report). High-quality inspectors can inspect in a range of phases, but we recognise that the credibility of inspection is improved when team members have the authority of experience in the phase of the school being inspected. This is more difficult, for instance, for types of specialist provision for which there are fewer providers: employed inspectors with this type of specialist experience would need to inspect other phases and provision types in the gaps between inspections. We have a clear ambition to ensure that our workforce reflects the full range and types of provision in the sector, and we are keen to discuss this through the Big Listen.