Ofsted has “moved too far away” from using data in inspections and doesn’t look in enough detail at teaching quality, a former Ofsted boss has said. Sir Michael Wilshaw also told MPs this morning that single-phrase judgments offer parents “false comfort”. The former headteacher, who served as chief between 2012 and 2016 before Amanda Spielman, was giving evidence to the education select committee as part of its inquiry into the watchdog’s work. Here’s what you need to know… 1. Ofsted has 鈥榤oved too far away鈥 from data Ofsted switches back to exam results 鈥榓s a starting point鈥 The watchdog鈥檚 new 2019 framework marked an 鈥渆volutionary shift鈥 in favour of looking more closely at what schools taught, rather than just exam results. But Wilshaw warned today Ofsted had 鈥渕oved too far away鈥 from data, and judgments 鈥渁re much more subjective on the curriculum鈥. He described a 鈥渞idiculous position鈥 of schools with low progress schools and 鈥渢errible outcomes鈥 getting 鈥榞ood鈥 judgments, adding: 鈥淚t really annoys successful headteachers when they see that happening.鈥 His comments echo those of incoming chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, who told MPs earlier this year he had concerns over “consistency”. Oliver said it was “difficult to explain how you get [schools with] some of the worst outcomes in the country getting a 鈥榞ood鈥 inspection”. Schools Week previously exposed the broken link between performance and Ofsted grades. However, results will once again be the 鈥渟tarting point on inspection鈥 after grades returned to pre-pandemic standards. 2. Inspectors ‘not looking at teaching quality enough‘ Wilshaw said having been around 鈥渓ots of schools鈥 since retiring from Ofsted, his worry was that 鈥渋nspectors are not looking as much as they should on the quality of teaching in the classroom鈥. 鈥淵es they are focusing on the curriculum and the schemes of work and so on but they are not spending as much time in lessons as they should.” He said the curriculum was “just one aspect and too great an emphasis of one aspect of school improvement I think is a mistake”. “Ofsted are not looking enough at the quality of teaching.鈥 3. Scrap 鈥榝alse comfort鈥 single-phrase judgments Wilshaw told MPs the days of single-phrase judgments 鈥渁re coming to an end鈥 as they are 鈥渘ot giving parents an accurate picture of what鈥檚 happening in a school鈥. Such judgments are “providing parents with false comfort of what鈥檚 happening in a school”, he claimed. Robin Walker “Ofsted says nearly 90 per cent of schools are [at least] ‘good’ – that鈥檚 nonsense having seen some of the schools judged ‘good’ over the last few years, I would not say are good.” He also said ‘good’ judgments allowed headteachers to “relax and not address the weaknesses that there are in that school”. “So I think that one word judgment needs to go. It doesn’t reflect what is happening nationally.鈥 But committee chair, Robin Walker, a former schools minister, warned of a 鈥渞isk鈥 of a 鈥渙ne-word judgement by default鈥 if intervention by the Department for Education prompted by inspection outcomes remained the same. 4. Consider need for ‘routine’ inspections The amount of time Ofsted inspectors spend in schools has decreased in recent years, as the inspectorate’s budget has been cut. Wilshaw said at 鈥渟ome stage鈥 governments would have to look at whether every school needed to be inspected in a 鈥渞outine way鈥. 鈥淚f we are going to go for high-quality inspection with high-quality inspectors who are paid well and represent both primary and secondary schools, I suspect we will not be able to afford that within the existing Ofsted budget unless we move away from routine inspection of every school.鈥 He said most ‘good’ schools, on a second inspection, 鈥済et a good judgment anyway鈥. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much data out there, we could identify those schools that really need focus. Why not focus on those schools and those parts of the country that need more support.鈥 He added that local authorities 鈥渟hould be empowered to call in Ofsted to look at particular schools that are not doing well in their area鈥. 5. Slim down ‘far too big’ Ofsted Wilshaw said Ofsted’s remit was “far too big”. As well as schools, other inspectorate remits include further education, children’s social care and teacher training. He said at “some stage it needs to be slimmed down,” adding: “If you don’t worry about them, one of them will go wrong and will come back to bite you.” Wilshaw recalled a conversation he had with Sir Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector between 1994 to 2000. He “said to me congratulations, you鈥檙e going to Ofsted but for goodness sake slim it down, make it focus on schools and standards in schools because if you get that right, society becomes better”. 6. 鈥楳andatory鈥 parent meetings Wilshaw urged the committee to consider recommending that Ofsted hold feedback meetings with parents, not just senior school staff, before a report is published. He said parents would “come along if they know this is an important occasion and a judgment is being made on a school, not a one-word judgement, a judgment on all sorts of different criteria – they will come along, I鈥檓 absolutely sure of that”. 鈥淎 meeting before the report is actually published. I would make that mandatory on all schools that there is a parents meeting at which the senior inspector or HMI would then go over what the inspection found.鈥
Harvey Y 24 October 2023 Yay! Another 40,000 teachers leave the profession at the thought of all more learning walks and deep dives to judge teaching quality. How about focusing on the root cause鈥he damn lazy children who do nothing in lessons and argue about writing even the 5 words in the title, instead?
E Vine 25 October 2023 OFSTED has been running for many decades but it’s not the right tool to deliver better quality education. Schools have been turned into exam factories. OFSTED has reinforced this. Result, very large numbers of students voting with their feet. A collaborative, reflective on going training system is needed: in education speak, formative assessment and integrated training, lead by, and perhaps, run by Local Education Authorities!! Restoring the local Teachers Centres would be a good place to start.
Mark Mackley 31 October 2023 Sadly this smacks of a ‘one size fits all’ approach to inspection. Having taught in and led a variety of different schools over my 30 year career I would not dream of trying to compare one to another. Some of the schools with the worst outcomes have had some of the best teachers I have ever worked with. Given the incredibly low start points of some children, compounded by living in communities with incredibly low levels of adult literacy/ numeracy as well as not having English as the first language makes getting the children to the required national level an incredibly difficult and challenging task. Having worked in schools where the baseline is much higher, achieving the national expectations is much easier to achieve. Does Ofsted look at the amount of private tutoring which the more affluent parents pay for which indirectly boosts some schools’ results? Very poor communities simply cannot afford to pay for such things and so the inequality continues. Ofsted has the potential for so much good and yet over its lifetime what has it actually achieved? I have seen so many different variations with a different focus each time the framework changes and schools are expected to adapt to meet that. Mr Wilshaw refers to a level of subjectivity as a criticism, inspection by its very nature is subjective as each inspector inevitably brings their own opinions and nuances to the process. Data outcomes are only a small part of a much bigger story. Ofsted needs to release its inspectors to have the same level of independence which they had when Ofsted first began, those reports were very details but at least you got a picture of the school which had a chance of reflecting what it is like. There is a much bigger debate than space here allows . . . .