Ofsted’s chief inspector has poured cold water on Labour plans to introduce a new annual review of safeguarding, saying it would be “much more expensive and complicated”.
Addressing the Festival of Education at Wellington College in Surrey on Thursday, Amanda Spielman said the government would “have to make something four times the size” of Ofsted’s current inspection operation to roll out the proposals.
She was not commenting explicitly on Labour plans, but was asked if safeguarding should be removed from the Ofsted inspection framework and undertaken as a separate “indicator”.
In March, Labour outlined plans for yearly school and college safeguarding reviews at the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders.
