红桃影视

Ofsted鈥檚 system for recording inspection evidence has for years suffered glitches that wipe data and force inspectors to re-record their findings, sometimes from memory after a visit has ended.

The watchdog has admitted that on at least one occasion, an inspection was deemed 鈥渋苍肠辞尘辫濒别迟别鈥� because of technical problems, forcing inspectors to return.

Ofsted鈥檚 electronic evidence gathering (EEG) system , but has encountered issues, according to multiple current and former inspectors who spoke to Schools Week on condition of anonymity.

Inspectors described situations in which their screen 鈥渇roze鈥� and evidence 鈥渄isappeared鈥� in front of their eyes during visits.

Others discovered evidence had been wiped upon returning to their hotel room.

They said Ofsted was repeatedly warned about the problems, but initially refused to accept there was something wrong and 鈥渂lame turned back on the individual inspectors鈥�.

Issues ‘more frequent’ when system launched

Ofsted told Schools Week it was 鈥渁ware that on some occasions inspectors can have issues with the EEG, for example connecting to WiFI due to the provider they are in or to the system itself鈥�.

But they said these issues were 鈥渕ore frequent when the system was first introduced鈥� and inspectors have been 鈥渋nstructed to use other means to record their evidence in these circumstances鈥�.聽

The watchdog also said it believed there had 鈥渙nly been a very small number of instances since 2019 where we have declared an inspection incomplete as a result of a technical issue鈥�. This was said to potentially be as low as one or two.

In those instances, 鈥渨e have then returned to the school to collect more evidence to ensure the judgement is secure鈥�, the watchdog said.

Ofsted issued guidance to inspectors in 2019 on 鈥渆nsuring the integrity of the evidence base鈥�.

The guidance, which has since been updated and simplified, said inspectors experiencing 鈥渕inor issues of misplaced evidence鈥� should 鈥渞ecapture the salient points from memory as soon as possible鈥�.

Where they were 鈥渦nable to record or retrieve evidence electronically鈥�, inspectors were told to record it in Microsoft Word or on paper.

‘For years it was incredibly unstable’

On 鈥渞are occasions鈥�, the quality of the inspection 鈥渕ay be at risk鈥�, at which point it 鈥渕ay be necessary to deploy an additional inspector or additional inspectors or extend the timescale of the inspection to avoid it being deemed incomplete鈥�.

The guidance also accepted that in 鈥渆xceptional circumstances鈥�, the loss of electronic evidence 鈥渕ay only occur or be discovered after the end of the onsite inspection but before drafting or publication of the inspection report鈥�.

One ex-inspector said: 鈥淔or years it was incredibly unstable. Inspectors would find all their evidence had disappeared.鈥�

Another inspector described 鈥渄ifficulties with it since it was put in place鈥�, but said it had become 鈥渕ore reliable and user-friendly over time鈥�.

There have been 鈥渓ots of examples of people losing large swathes of typed evidence鈥�.

In a recent submission to the Parliamentary education committee, a group of six former inspectors, including former trust leader Frank Norris, warned the EEG鈥檚 effectiveness was 鈥渉indered by a lack of trialling and an unwillingness to accept its flaws and feedback鈥�.

‘A cause of great stress’

鈥淪uffice to report that much resource was wasted and much evidence was lost or had to be rewritten, and was the cause of great stress to inspectors who had to use this system which is now under review. Better four years late than never.鈥�

Ofsted said its 鈥渟ystems and processes are under constant review鈥�.

They take the 鈥減rocesses we use to come to an inspection judgement very seriously鈥� and said judgments were all 鈥渂acked up by sufficient evidence from the inspection team and are quality assured by senior staff in Ofsted鈥�.

If quality assurance found there was 鈥渋nsufficient evidence on the system to support the judgement, inspectors would be instructed to return to the school to gather and record further evidence鈥�.

But Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, accused Ofsted of feeding 鈥渂otched data鈥� into a 鈥渂roken system鈥�.

鈥淭he disservice to the profession and to parents is appalling, and the reluctance to admit the error for years is simply not good enough.鈥�

Ofsted鈥檚 latest guidance, issued in 2022, tells inspectors that can鈥檛 resolve technical issues to record evidence in Word and then transfer the information into the EEG within 24 hours of the inspection.

It no longer instructs inspectors to re-write evidence from memory.