Ofsted has dealt “openly and transparently” with feedback on its planned reforms, its chief inspector has claimed, after the watchdog was blasted for refusing to give a breakdown of consultation responses.
Sir Martyn Oliver and recently appointed Ofsted chair Dame Christine Gilbert were questioned by the education committee today on the watchdog’s reforms and consultation process.
Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden pressed Oliver on Ofsted’s refusal to publish a breakdown of the 6,500 consultation responses it received regarding new “report card” inspections.
Unions have criticised the decision to provide only a narrative summary as “deeply problematic”.
Voaden cited findings from the “alternative big consultation” – a smaller version of the consultation run by a group of former HMIs – which found just one in 10 people viewed Ofsted’s proposals as an improvement on the current framework.
She described this as “a pretty damning verdict” and asked if Ofsted chose not to publish its own consultation responses, because it received similar findings.
‘We set out clearly the negativity’
Oliver rejected this, saying: “I think we have published openly and transparently the views that were expressed to us.
“We set out really clearly the negativity that we heard against what we proposed to consult on.”
He added the finalised framework “has changed in so many ways” since consultation.
Requests for a “granular breakdown”, he said, reflected a “fundamental misunderstanding of what a consultation is”.
Oliver also said the fact the new inspection framework has failed to win confidence of unions “does concern me”, but said he takes confidence from the response of “those who’ve actually experienced an inspection” under the new framework.
But he was not able to say whether Ofsted will publish its analysis of pilot inspections that are currently underway.
Gilbert to look at making complaints independent
Meanwhile Gilbert – whose damning review following headteacher Ruth Perry’s death prompted many of Ofsted’s reforms – said progress had been made by the inspectorate.
Gilbert described Ofsted’s new complaints processes as “much more human” and “far better” than it used to be. “You can talk to a body, a person.”
But she said looking at making the process independent from Ofsted was “really key”.
“I’ll look at the options for…greater independence in the process, and we’ll come back to that hopefully by about February, March time.”
Oliver said he felt Ofsted “go[es] as far and if not further than almost all of the regulators in this country, with dealing with complaints.”
“But do I think we can go further? I think we can.” He welcomed the “experience” and “challenge” Gilbert will bring.
Board ‘will be looking at ourselves’
Gilbert’s 2024 review of Ofsted found the role of its board “appear[ed] curiously limited”, and called for it to be strengthened.
Having now been at its helm for around six weeks, she assured the education committee the Ofsted board “won’t be taking reports, nodding, and saying ‘well done’”. “We will be looking ourselves at…engaging with the sector.”
Meanwhile Oliver said the new framework “removes the ‘gotcha’ moment” from inspections and “will allow complaints to surface during the inspection rather than at the end” when “they’re allowed to fester”.
Inspectors will “talk to the provider and explain what they’re seeing” as they go, rather than revealing a grade at the end of day two.
More details on Ofsted inspector ‘matching’ process
Oliver also gave insight into Ofsted’s plans to match inspectors with settings they have had experience in.
He said Ofsted had “undertaken what they are confident saying is the largest data set on civil servants, to match their experience and expertise”. He said this comprises “two million sets of data” on HMIs.
He added Ofsted now specified settings when advertising for HMI.
“Each region has looked at its strengths and deficits of experience and it’s advertising to fill that pool. We’re on it,” he said.
MPs also cited the independent wellbeing impact assessment recently commissioned by Ofsted, which found the new framework “does not reduce the pressure on leaders…and is likely to increase stress and workload”.
Asked whether this means Ofsted “has failed” in its bid to reduce pressure on leaders, Oliver said Ofsted has “made very significant changes” to the framework in light of the report.
“I can’t make inspection entirely stress free, any more than exams or tests can be stress free, but I am doing all that I can to make them manageable, constructive and, above all, useful to leaders.”
Caversham inspector ‘has reflected on conduct’
Oliver backtracked on an assertion he made at a previous committee hearing in January, when he said there was “no suggestion” inspectors involved in the inspection at Caversham Primary School, where Ruth Perry was headteacher, “did a bad job or did anything wrong whatsoever”.
He thanked the committee this morning for the “opportunity…to try and correct that record slightly”.
He stressed the coroner presiding over Perry’s inquest “made it very clear that the fault wasn’t about any individual inspector, but it was an action for Ofsted as a whole”.
“But clearly they had found concerns about the way that the conduct of that inspection had taken place.”
The coroner’s report found the inspection at Perry’s school “was at times rude and intimidating” and “contributed” to her suicide.
“It is for all of our inspectors to take forward inspection of professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect,” said Oliver. “And that inspector has reflected on the conduct and on the preventing future deaths [report]”.
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