Ofsted | Schools Week

University-backed academy trust praised for ‘rapid’ improvement

Ofsted has praised the University of Chichester Academy Trust for “rapidly” improving its schools with “well-targeted challenge and support”. In a letter sent following inspections at several of the trusts schools, inspectors praised the university for being “fully committed” to its academy trust, bucking a recent trend for criticism of university-led academy trusts, several of which […]

Ofsted’s Spielman examines book scrutiny in inspections

Ofsted is considering a new approach to book scrutiny, in which off-site inspectors will look at scanned versions of pupils’ books. The watchdog’s chief inspection Amanda Spielman gave a speech at the fifth annual national conference of ResearchED today, in which she explained areas of development she will be focusing on in the coming months. […]

Pioneering London academy absorbed by Harris Federation

One of the country’s first ever academies has been taken over by a major London academy chain, after it fell into special measures. The Garrard Academy, formerly known as the ‘Business Academy Bexley’, was opened in 2003 by the then-prime minister Tony Blair, who hailed it as the “future” of state education. But financial woes […]

DfE launches £100k tender to independently review complaints against Ofsted

The Department for Education has this week started the hunt for an organisation to review complaints made against Ofsted. The three year contract is valued at £100,000 and will run from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, something an Ofsted spokesperson told Schools Week is “a routine retendering by the DfE for providing Ofsted’s existing […]

Learndirect debacle shines light on £2m teacher test contract

The future of online tests for trainee teachers is hanging in the balance, as the only provider which holds a contract to deliver them in England faces turmoil over its adult training. Learndirect, the country’s largest private training company, holds a £2 million contract with the Department for Education to administer the computerised professional skills […]

High Court ruling threatens Ofsted’s ability to publish negative reports

Schools receiving negative Ofsted reports are now more likely to attempt to block them, solicitors have warned in the wake of a landmark High Court ruling. Durand Academy last week succeeded in its effort to quash an ‘inadequate’ grade handed out by the inspectorate earlier this year, and Lee Bolton Monier-Williams, the firm that acted on its […]

Amanda Spielman is right: our schools are too risk averse

Risk-aversion in schools has gone too far, argues Andy Phippen. We need to empower our pupils to manage and mitigate risks themselves. In last week’s Sunday Times, Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, called for a change in the risk-averse culture in our schools, claiming they have become places where children are so wrapped in cotton […]

Free school that omits arts and humanities rated ‘inadequate’

A free school in Newcastle that does not teach humanities, arts or foreign languages has been branded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in its first inspection. The education watchdog singled out the “unacceptable” absence of subjects at Discovery School, which also omits physical education, in its report from an inspection conducted in May. “The curriculum is failing […]

Ofsted prepares to prosecute four illegal schools which refuse to close

Four illegal schools are refusing to comply with government enforcement notices to cease their operation immediately, forcing Ofsted to take legal action to shut them down, Schools Week can reveal. The education watchdog has issued 38 warning notices to illegal schools so far – resulting in 27 either closed down or reformed. Seven of the […]