School inspections will continue, Ofsted boss says

Stopping or preventing school inspections in England would be against “children’s best interests”, the chief inspector of Ofsted has said.

Amanda Spielman said they played an important role for schools and parents.

Unions have called for them to be paused, after head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life while waiting for a report that downgraded her school.

The government says Ofsted has a crucial role to play in upholding education standards.

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said the broader debate about reforming inspections “to remove grades is a legitimate one” but it should not lose sight of how grades were currently used.

Following an inspection in England, schools are rated:

The gradings “give parents a simple and accessible summary of a school’s strengths and weaknesses and are also now used to guide government decisions about when to intervene in struggling schools”, Ms Spielman said.

“Any changes to the current system would have to meet the needs both of parents and of government,” she said.

It would be wrong to say too much ahead of the coroner’s inquest but Ms Perry’s suicide “was met with great sadness at Ofsted”.

“Our school inspectors are all former or serving school leaders,” Ms Spielman said. “They understand the vital work headteachers do and the pressures they are under.”

Ms Spielman acknowledged inspections “can be challenging” but said inspectors always aimed to conduct them “with sensitivity as well as professionalism”.

Ofsted aimed “to make inspections as collaborative and constructive as we can” and would remain focused on improving how it worked with schools and “how inspections feel for school staff”.

This was a difficult time to be a head teacher, particularly since the pandemic, as absence was high, mental-health problems had increased, and “external support services are unable to meet increased demand”.

But it was important inspections continued as they played an important role for schools and parents.

“It looks at what children are being taught, assesses how well behaviour is being taught and managed and checks that teachers know what to do if children are being abused or harmed,” Ms Spielman added.

But National Association of Head Teachers general secretary NAHT Paul Whiteman called continuing inspections a terrible mistake.

“We believe this should be a watershed moment and Ofsted should look at this the same way too,” he said. “Now is the time to work together for a completely new approach to school inspection”.

A Department for Education official said Ofsted had a crucial role to play in upholding education standards and ensuring children were safe in school.

“They provide independent, up to date evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding, and leadership, which parents greatly rely on to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child,” the official added.