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21 April 2026

Tag: Ofsted

Spielman ‘not expecting’ graded inspections from January

Ofsted is not expecting to resume graded inspections in January, the chief inspector of schools has said. Speaking at the launch of the watchdog’s latest annual report, Amanda Spielman said Ofsted needed to “take account of the national situation, and we’ve always said that the timing and form of our return was under review”. I’m […]

Ofsted annual report 2019-20: 8 things we learned

Ofsted has published its latest annual report following a “year of two halves” which saw inspections halted around six months after the launch of its new inspection framework. The report highlights that the judgment profile for schools remains “broadly stable” following the introduction of the new framework, with 86 per cent rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. […]

Labour ‘got it wrong’ on scrapping Ofsted, says shadow schools minister

Ofsted plays an “important role” and Labour was “wrong” to pledge to scrap it without making clear it would be replaced with something better, the shadow schools minister has said. Wes Streeting told the Schools and Academies Show this morning that instead of calling for Ofsted’s demise, educationalists should tell Labour “how to make it […]

‘We’ll help kids rise to the challenge’ – heads contradict Ofsted chief on exams

Cancelling exams in 2021 will not result in pupils becoming disengaged, headteachers have told MPs, as they vowed to work with “whatever system” they are presented with. Six school leaders appeared in front of the Parliamentary education committee this morning to give evidence on left-behind white disadvantaged pupils. Whatever system you give us, we will […]

Restricting exams to core subjects ‘under consideration’, suggests Spielman

Ofqual is considering whether to only have exams in core subjects next year, with centre-assessment grades used for the remainder, Amanda Spielman has suggested. The Ofsted chief inspector, who is chairing Ofqual’s new “recovery committee” formed to oversee the fallout from this year’s exams fiasco, said holding exams only in core subjects was “the kind […]

SEND pupils told schools ‘can’t accommodate them’, claims Spielman

Schools have been telling parents they can’t accommodate pupils with special educational needs and disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, Amanda Spielman has claimed. The chief inspector of schools told the National Children and Adult Services Conference this morning that children had been “left without access to therapy and education for months”. They’ve been told that […]

DfE and agencies’ performance-related bonus spend rises to over £6m

The Department for Education and its agencies paid out over £6 million in performance-related bonuses in 2018-19, an increase of almost 7 per cent on the previous year. Data on non-consolidated performance-related payments shows the DfE itself paid out £4,611,694 last year, up from £4,482,570 the previous year, while Ofsted paid out £1,181,764, up from […]

Outstanding schools set for Ofsted inspections next year – but may face 6-year wait

Outstanding schools are set to be inspected again when Ofsted inspections resume next year – but it will now take up to six years to get through them all. The government has published its response to the consultation on removing the inspection exemption for the top-rated schools. It was introduced by former education secretary Michael […]