Inquiry Calls for 'Transformational' Change to Ofsted School Inspections
Recommendations include ending one-word judgements and allowing schools to self-evaluate, following criticism of the pressure inspections can put on schools.
- The Beyond Ofsted inquiry, chaired by former schools minister Lord Jim Knight, calls for a 'transformational' change to school inspections, including the removal of one-word inspection judgements.
- The inquiry suggests that schools should be responsible for their own improvement plans, with Ofsted focusing on how well schools or groups of schools are managed.
- The inquiry's recommendations come in the wake of the suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry, which highlighted the pressure Ofsted inspections can put on schools.
- Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, inspects and reports on education providers in England. As of November 2022, 88% of schools in England were rated either outstanding or good.
- The Department for Education maintains that Ofsted inspections are 'hugely important' and a 'legal requirement', providing reassurance to parents about the quality of education and safety in schools.
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