Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said Ofsted 鈥渙ften becomes a sort of lightning rod鈥 where 鈥渢ensions and frustrations can be discharged鈥 when there is wider unhappiness in the school sector. Speaking publicly for the first time since news of headteacher Ruth Perry鈥檚 death, Spielman appeared to partly blame criticism of the inspectorate with wider discontent behind teacher strikes and school funding woes. When challenged about one-word grades, she said that was a decision for government 鈥 not Ofsted. The under-fire chief inspector also stood by the inspection at Perry鈥檚 school, Caversham Primary, in Berkshire, and admitted she hadn鈥檛 reached out to Perry鈥檚 family because she didn鈥檛 want to 鈥渋ntrude on their grief鈥. ‘Perceptions exacerbated by external narratives’ When asked if the sector was in bad shape on the BBC this morning, Spielman said: 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot of unhappiness. 鈥淥bviously there are disputes with government about pay and funding, there鈥檚 clearly a lot of bad feeling around and when there鈥檚 bad feeling around Ofsted often becomes a sort of lightning rod through which the tensions and frustrations can be discharged.鈥 When asked if Ofsted had been 鈥渦nfairly blamed鈥, Spielman said: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important to understand that there鈥檚 a wider disagreement here between different factions, about how schools should be run, about how school accountability should be run more broadly. Ofsted considers safeguarding inspection tweaks after head’s death 鈥淲e鈥檙e just one part of that system. We鈥檙e not the regulator, we don鈥檛 make decisions about what happens in schools, we鈥檙e just the inspectorate.鈥 Spielman was asked if she understood the depth of feeling towards Ofsted from the sector. She said: 鈥淚 absolutely do, but I also look very hard at what we actually hear back from inspections on the ground. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult when you鈥檝e got both the reality on ground and also perceptions that can sometimes get exacerbated by external narratives. 鈥淚f people hear about inspection, but haven鈥檛 actually experienced it, especially not experienced it in recent years, they may come to believe things that aren鈥檛 actually true.鈥 Caversham school rating was ‘secure’ She pointed to a 鈥渂ig Covid suspension鈥 of inspections, which means only a small proportion of schools have been inspected for 鈥渜uite a long while鈥. She also claimed inspection 鈥渙nly touches a small proportion of people in a school鈥, typically the most senior staff. She said there may be a 鈥渞eally constructive conversation, but there simply isn鈥檛 the capacity in the system鈥 to meet or talk to every teacher. In relation to the inspection at previously 鈥榦utstanding鈥 Caversham primary, where the school was rated ‘inadequate’ over safeguarding issues but all other areas were rated 鈥榞ood鈥, Spielman said the findings were 鈥渟ecure鈥 and the inspection team worked with 鈥減rofessionalism and sensitivity鈥. Ofsted reform ‘essentially a political debate’ Spielman has so far resisted calls for wider Ofsted reform, particularly dropping one-word grades. She said today that any changes would be a 鈥渂igger government decision鈥. She said inspection has a 鈥渢ough job鈥 but 鈥渋t鈥檚 essentially a political debate about the right way to run the schools system鈥. She said every judgment 鈥渉as a use at the moment, not just parents but government in allocating support or deciding where interventions are necessary鈥. Any changes would have to 鈥渂e a bigger, wider reform of the education system. We have designed the inspection model and set of judgments to fit the current system.鈥 Inspection is ‘positive and affirming experience’ Perry鈥檚 family have criticised Ofsted for not reaching out to them. Spielman said the inspectorate did not want to 鈥渋ntrude on their grief. We haven鈥檛 ignored anything and would happily speak to them.鈥 Asked about whether she believes a culture of fear exists around Ofsted, Spielman said that inspection is a 鈥減ositive and affirming experience鈥 for the 鈥渧ast majority of schools鈥. 鈥淚t is designed to be a constructive professional dialogue that really helps people think about what they鈥檙e doing, that鈥檚 the essence of how we design it and train people.鈥 She added it was a 鈥渞eally hard time to manage a school, especially when the external services you need more of sometimes aren鈥檛 fully back on stream so it鈥檚 a tough, tough time out there.鈥 On teacher strikes, she said it is 鈥渟o important鈥 that the education of children who have already 鈥渕issed a great deal over the last few years鈥 is 鈥渋nterrupted as little as can be. 鈥淚 hope disputes can be resolved rapidly and constructively.鈥
Paul Atkinson 27 April 2023 Spielman is a process following bureaucrat – a chartered accountant with no educational experience – she has demonstrated she has no empathy for teachers nor a real understanding of what schools are about – improving life chances for our kids – as long as her inspectors can tick 鉁 boxes then all is well in this country’s schools!
Brian Sullivan 28 April 2023 Ofsted was introduced because the government of the time did not trust teachers, it still does not and Ofsted follows blindly along being a negative experience, I remember when HMI carried out inspections in a far more sympathetic way.
David 28 April 2023 There’s your problem. Denial, abrogation, technical minutiae, doublespeak, false assumptions and disingenuous. I feel for Ms Spielman. Yet I hope I never demonstrate these qualities in front of my children in quite the way she has here.