Positive Reform For

A Trusted Ofsted

WE ARE CALLING FOR A COLLABORATIVE, TRANSPARENT AND EFFECTIVE EDUCATION INSPECTORATE

Why Ofsted should be reformed

The teaching profession is at breaking point, and Ofsted is a major factor behind it.

Teachers are not given enough time to prepare for an inspection. 

Inspectors are known to focus on minor details.

Reports are too high level, not containing useful information or a strong evidence base.

Good practice and pupil achievement is ignored.

There is no meaningful way to complain.

Ofsted itself is almost entirely unaccountable to the Department for Education and to Parliament.

This has to stop! Ofsted needs to be reformed for the sake of teachers, and ultimately for the sake of pupils.

Please read our Charter for Reform and add your name to our open letter for POSITIVE REFORM FOR A TRUSTED OFSTED.

Sign the open letter to Ofsted

CORE PRINCIPLES

A Collaborative Ofsted

A Transparent Ofsted

A Trusted Ofsted

Charter for Reform

We believe in positively reforming Ofsted to maintain the many benefits that the inspectorate has to offer while resolving core issues.

3 Ways Ofsted Can Be Positively Reformed


 
A. Accountability
 
  • Introduce independence into the complaints process
  • Provide a more robust evidence base for making decisions
  • Establish an independent Commission for reviewing decisions and reports
  • Enable greater scrutiny and transparency
B. Re-focus on education
 
  • Respect the statutory remit and DfE guidelines
  • Return to focusing on pupil educational achievement 
  • Review inspector training and methods of evidence collection
C. Collaboration 
 
  • Create greater collaboration with teachers, parents and communities
  • Provide more constructive advice to schools
  • Widen opportunities for schools to challenge reports

Practitioners Speak Out

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"The stress caused by an Ofsted inspection cannot be underestimated. We spend years preparing for our next inspection, while not knowing whether the inspector will have a different focus to what we have prepared for.

I trust Ofsted far less than when I started off in teaching. It doesn't raise our educational standards - it it counterproductive."
Head Teacher from Wiltshire​
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"Many teachers perceive Ofsted to be pursuing an agenda through inspections in state comprehensives - they pick an arbitrary theme, find the evidence that the school is non compliant, downgrade it, then position it as ripe for takeover by an Academy trust or MAT.

I have seen many good schools downgraded and then become absorbed into huge businesses run by CEOs with zero interest in education. It seems to be a political education policy to exert control over schools. Ofted should be more accountable."
RE Teacher from Gloucestershire
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"Ofsted used to operate an inverse relationship between performance and scrutiny – that is, the better a school’s outcomes, the less critique it could expect as to its pedagogy.  Where has this principle gone?

Also, Ofsted is becoming and/or wants to become the default enforcer of all youth-related issues, from careers to sexuality to racial harmony, to mental health. Its remit is huge."
Education Consultant from Manchester

Ofsted in the news

Ofsted promises changes after head teacher Ruth Perry’s death

Schools watchdog Ofsted has said it will make changes after the suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry in January.

Ofsted should be abolished, teaching union NASUWT agrees

Teaching union NASUWT has approved a motion calling for the abolition of Ofsted, adding to growing pressure on the

Ofsted unfit for purpose, says ex-inspector

A school leader who quit as an Ofsted inspector this week has told the BBC he felt his role