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19 April 2026

Tag: Ofsted

Coronavirus: Spielman to preside over inspection deferral decisions

The chief inspector of schools will personally sign off any decision not to defer Ofsted inspections of schools affected by coronavirus, it has been announced. Sean Harford, the watchdog’s national director of education, told the ASCL conference today that Ofsted will “look very favourably” on any requests for deferral as a result of coronavirus. Requests […]

Nearly nine in ten ‘satisfied’ with Ofsted’s new inspections

Nearly nine in ten respondents to a post-inspection survey since September are satisfied with their inspection, according to new statistics. Speaking in Birmingham at the weekend, Amanda Spielman said it was a “small and vocal minority” who were criticising the new inspection framework. In data released today, it shows that 88.6 per cent of 1,336 […]

Trust issued warning after key stage 3 pupils not taught MFL

An academy trust could have funding axed for one of its schools after Ofsted found some pupils in year 7 and 8 – including those with special educational needs – were not being taught modern foreign languages. Inspectors who visited Bilton School, a mixed secondary school in Warwickshire, said some pupils in key stage 3 […]

Framework criticism is just ‘small and vocal minority’, claims defiant Spielman

The criticism of Ofsted’s new inspection framework is solely down to a “small and vocal minority”, Amanda Spielman will claim this weekend, as the government prepares to intervene in matters. The chief inspector will tell ResearchED Birmingham that “feedback from many directions is telling us that the inspections are nearly always working well” with schools […]

Academy orders ‘flawed’ as 1 in 4 schools improve before help arrives

Over a quarter of schools inspected by Ofsted after receiving an academy order improved while “in limbo” waiting to join a trust, leading experts to brand the system as “flawed”. According to Ofsted’s annual report, 97 of the 170 schools with looming academy orders have been re-inspected – meaning they hadn’t been academised within up […]

Academy that removed pupils ‘without good reason’ branded ‘inadequate’

A Nottingham academy that removed pupils from its roll “without good reason” has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. Hall Park Academy, part of the Redhill Academy Trust, has been downgraded from ‘good’ after Ofsted found leaders’ decisions to remove pupils were not made in their best interests. We feel that this part of the new […]

Ofsted slams council and diocese at ‘forgotten school’ in five-year takeover limbo

A “forgotten school” waiting five years for an academy takeover has been put into special measures again, with Ofsted criticising the council and diocese for “failing its pupils for far too long”. St Anne’s Roman Catholic High School, in Stockport, has been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted following an inspection in January. The report, due to […]

Seldon: AI can replace Ofsted inspectors within a decade

Artificial intelligence could make Ofsted inspectors redundant within the next decade, according to the founder of an institute looking into how to use technology ethically in schools. Former headteacher Sir Anthony Seldon, now vice-chancellor the University of Buckingham, outlined his predictions for the sector as the Institute for Ethical AI in Education published its first […]