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Ofsted ‘visits’ to go online during national lockdown

Ofsted

Ofsted has confirmed it will undertake school visits “remotely” during the national lockdown.

In a Twitter post this evening, the inspectorate said the programme of autumn visits across school and colleges will be done remotely from Thursday.

The post added: “During the national lockdown we will undertake our work remotely where we can – only going on site where it is necessary to do so, or in response to urgent concerns.”

The watchdog has faced resistance from unions over its visits, where inspectors visit mostly ‘inadequate’ schools to talk to leaders about their provision during the pandemic. While grades aren’t awarded, the watchdog does publish letters summarising the visit.

Full inspections are due to restart in January, but it’s not clear whether that intention will remain following this weekend’s announcement of a full national lockdown during November.

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4 Comments

    • Chief Medical Officer Whitty highlighted that, while the data was not “absolutely overwhelming”, international and Office for National Statistics (ONS) studies “do not imply that teachers are a high risk occupation, unlike for examples social care workers, medical staff and others who when they go into work have an increased risk”.

      Inspectors are clearly very precious Vanessa. Obviously more so than school staff and our children.

      Leadership needs to make sense and be transparent.

  1. It’s not as it’s not safe for the Ofsted inspector but more for the safety of our children. Presently schools are going to great lengths to bubble and keep our children safe. The inspectors from Ofsted would be required to visit different schools and run the possibility of cross contaminating the bubbles. This ultimately put the children and their families at risk. So yes as you say…. speaks volumes of the regard Ofsted have for the safety of our children.

  2. Entirely ridiculous, but OFSTED need to keep there organisation front and centre of the media spotlight. If they didn’t continue with their inspections they would be shown up for the frauds they are.