• Criticism of home-learning ‘unhelpful’, says Spielman

    Ofsted’s chief inspector has said it is “profoundly disappointing” to see commentators trying to “polarise” the back-to-school debate by “portraying teachers in a negative light”. Teachers’ safety concerns about returning to the classroom have prompted criticism from national newspaper columnists and some politicians. Writing for Schools Week, Amanda Spielman said it was “very clear to…

    11.00 May. 22nd, 2020 | News

  • Ofsted halts parent survey asking when inspections should restart

    Ofsted had to close a survey that asked parents for their views on whether inspections should restart as soon as pupils go back to school, or wait for as long as up to a year. Parents were also quizzed on what impact they believe restarting inspections would have on their confidence in sending children back…

    17.14 May. 18th, 2020 | News

  • School loses appeal to gag Ofsted from publishing critical report

    A school has lost an appeal to gag Ofsted from publishing a critical report after claiming falling from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ in three years “cannot be justified on any rational basis”. The secondary school, inspected in October last year, was granted an anonymity order in January to prevent publication of the report. However, this was…

    7.00 May. 17th, 2020 | News

  • Ofsted raps first school over Baker clause

    A school has been rapped by Ofsted for flouting the Baker clause, as the inspectorate begins to police the controversial rule. Leicestershire-based King Edward VII Science and Sport College was rated ‘inadequate’ in a report published on Wednesday following an inspection in January. While Ofsted has suspended publishing reports during the coronavirus outbreak, it does…

    7.00 May. 15th, 2020 | News

  • What does an inspectorate do when it can’t inspect?

    Six weeks after lockdown and the sudden end of inspections, and five weeks after Ofsted mooted a mass redeployment of staff, JL Dutaut finds out what the inspectors have been up to It’s now six weeks since “business as usual” came to an abrupt end for Ofsted. Yet just last week, chief inspector Amanda Spielman…

    5.00 May. 11th, 2020 | News

  • Vulnerable pupils falling through the cracks in AP 'cold spots'

    Data collection and tracking of how pupils are performing in alternative provision must be improved, a new report has said, warning that vulnerable learners could fall through the cracks. A new analysis published today by the Centre for Social Justice has revealed 13 local authorities where not a single excluded pupil passed their GCSE maths…

    13.36 May. 11th, 2020 | News

  • EPI: Suspend Ofsted inspections until 2021 and launch retired teacher volunteer scheme

    Suspending Ofsted inspections until next year and asking retired teachers to volunteer would help disadvantaged pupils “catch up” when schools reopen, a think tank has suggested. Education Policy Institute researchers warn poorer children could fall “seriously” and further behind as a result of school closures and disruption to the economy, wiping out over a “decade’s…

    0.01 May. 6th, 2020 | News

  • Ofsted refuses to release full post-inspection survey findings under new framework

    Ofsted has refused to release the full findings of post-inspection surveys under its new framework, claiming they would be “potentially misleading”. This is despite its own publication of some of the findings last month that showed nine in ten school staff were “satisfied” with their inspection. Publication of the positive figures followed growing criticism of…

    5.00 May. 4th, 2020 | News

  • Coronavirus: Routine inspections not likely before summer, says Spielman

    Ofsted is unlikely to resume routine inspections of schools this academic year, Amanda Spielman has told MPs. The chief inspector appeared in front of the Parliamentary education committee by video link this morning, to answer questions about coronavirus and other pressing issues facing the inspectorate. Here’s what we learned.   1. Routine inspections unlikely before…

    11.30 Apr. 27th, 2020 | News

  • 'Requires improvement' schools less likely to improve under new framework

    Schools rated ‘requires improvement’ are less likely to improve under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, new data shows. The watchdog has published statistics this morning which show that just 56 per cent of ‘requires improvement’ schools inspected in the first term of the new framework improved to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, down from 64 per cent in…

    10.34 Mar. 26th, 2020 | News