Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman appeared this morning to answer questions about relationships and sex education, teacher training and how Covid impacted inspections. Here’s what we learned. 1. Ofsted stands by inspections of trainers that failed accreditation As revealed by Schools Week, the government鈥檚 ITT review denied accreditation to some providers rated 鈥榦utstanding鈥 under Ofsted鈥檚 tougher new framework. Spielman said Ofsted has since 鈥渓ooked at the places where there were different outcomes, and as far as we can see鈥t鈥檚 a difference between perhaps how people describe what they do and what it translates into on the ground鈥. 鈥淭he processes are not quite capturing the same thing. We鈥檝e reviewed our inspections in the light of what we鈥檝e seen in the accreditation outcomes and we鈥檙e confident in the judgments we鈥檝e made.鈥 Asked if this cast doubt on the DfE accreditation鈥檚 system, Spielman said: 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a question for ministers who I understand you鈥檙e seeing over the next few weeks.鈥 2. Number of 鈥榦utstanding鈥 ITT providers got 鈥榰ncomfortably high鈥 Ofsted began inspecting initial teacher training (ITT) providers under a new framework in May 2021. Spielman said the new inspections were 鈥済etting under the bonnet鈥 of the quality and substance of training, and 鈥渢hrowing up a better distribution of outcomes鈥, with fewer providers rated as 鈥榦utstanding鈥. Prior to the introduction of the new framework, all ITT providers had been rated 鈥榞ood鈥 or outstanding鈥. Spielman said the number with outstanding ratings had got 鈥渦ncomfortably high鈥 and the previous framework had looked 鈥渕ore to process than substance鈥. 3. Omicron meant 1,000 inspections 鈥榣ost鈥… Last December, Ofsted suspended its inspections a week early in response to the Omicron wave of Covid. In January it allowed deferrals to all schools that requested them, and did not call on serving heads to carry out inspections. Spielman said today that a 鈥渃ombination鈥 of those factors 鈥渕eant I think that we lost about 1,000 school inspections out of the programme鈥. 鈥淔rom spring half term we reverted to a normal programme. We were slightly hit last year by slightly higher absence among our own staff as well. So I think we were about 1,000 inspections behind where we wanted to be鈥. 4. …but Ofsted 鈥榗onfident鈥 of 2025 target Ofsted announced last year that it would inspect all schools by summer 2025 as part of its strategy to raise standards. Spielman said today the setbacks caused by Omicron had been 鈥渇actored into the planning鈥 to meet that commitment. While she was unable to reveal the number inspected so far in the hearing, she added Ofsted was 鈥渃onfident that we will meet the target鈥. 5. Spielman wants 鈥榣imits鈥 on what鈥檚 taught in RSE Spielman said relationships and sex education (RSE) guidance sometimes created 鈥渄ifficulty鈥 for schools because it鈥檚 structured in terms of the 鈥渕inimum鈥 they must do, rather than 鈥渢he furthest they should go鈥. 鈥淪o, it can appear as though the various mechanisms are encouraging schools to go ever further.” In an effort to resolve this, she said she had advised the DfE it would be 鈥渆xtremely helpful if the guidance could be iterated to place some limits on what schools should reasonably teach鈥. She added that 鈥渁ge-appropriate carries a lot of weight, and case studies and examples can do a great deal”. Asked if she would recommend 鈥渕ore rigid guidelines鈥 on the age-appropriateness of content, Spielman said she would 鈥渨elcome clearer guidance for schools鈥. She added that the “burden on heads trying to navigate deeply contested issues is actually very considerable…they need real clarity from government”. 6. 鈥楻egrets鈥 that inspectors can鈥檛 meet all teachers Spielman was asked about criticism of Ofsted by the National Education Union. She revealed said one of her 鈥渞egrets鈥 was that the 鈥渃onstrained model鈥 of 鈥渟hort鈥 inspection meant Ofsted 鈥渃an鈥檛 interact with every single teacher in a school鈥. She said this was 鈥渙ne of the things which I know we sometimes hear, that people want to interact with inspection teams, that people want feedback on themselves鈥. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 do that within the constraints that we operate, but we have put a tremendous amount into making sure we provide constructive dialogue and feedback for leaders in schools.鈥 7. 鈥極ur job is to diagnose, not treat and improve鈥 Spielman said Ofsted鈥檚 inspection models were 鈥渄esigned to meet the policy purposes government set鈥. 鈥淢any of the concerns people express about inspection really come down to not liking the purpose government sets for us, and to wishing that we could be turned into a school support mechanism. 鈥淏ut the policy divide at the moment, that has been set by government for the last decade, is that our job is only to diagnose, not to treat and improve. And I have to respect government policy.鈥 8. Future of 鈥榓ttendance alliance鈥 uncertain Last year, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi launched a 17-member 鈥渁ttendance alliance鈥 which was tasked with working to reduce absence from schools. Today, Spielman said the 鈥減eriodic get-together鈥 had provided a 鈥渇orum for people to share what they were doing and think about what more in the light of what they were hearing from others might join up鈥. She said the alliance had been 鈥渉elpful鈥 but had not met since the reshuffle in the summer. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know whether the current secretary of state is planning to reinstate it.鈥