Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 49
49
Deferred
Authorise Ofsted to urgently develop a framework for Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) inspections and capacity plan.
Conclusion
The Department must authorise Ofsted to develop a framework for the inspection of MATs as a matter of urgency and set out a plan for building the appropriate expertise and capacity in this area. Ofsted will need to be appropriately resourced to develop their expertise in this respect and should continue to ensure that all individual schools are assessed on a consistent basis whether or not they are part of a MAT. (Paragraph 155) 56 Ofsted’s work with schools
Government Response Summary
The government states that the authorization for Ofsted to develop a MAT inspection framework falls to the DfE, not Ofsted, and commits to engaging with the DfE on this matter while also suggesting a broader concept of 'group inspection'.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
Many of the recommendations in the Committee’s report fall to the DfE, rather than Ofsted. We welcome Recommendation 28, and the Committee agreeing with our evidence that inspection of MATs is appropriate and inevitable. We also think consideration needs to be given to the wider application of this thinking to groups of education providers, such as dioceses, groups of nurseries, children’s homes, independent schools, and potentially even local authorities and the work of directors of children’s services. Arguably, MAT inspection could be considered just one element of ‘group inspection’. Considering a wider set of group inspections might help to bring the system together, rather than risking further fracturing, with different accountability for different providers and groups. 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.