Ofsted has shaken up how and when inspectors access provider websites after FE Week sister title Schools Week exposed a loophole that offered advance notice of visits to those who monitored their website downloads.
But the watchdog this week refused to give more details, apparently fearing doing so would allow schools, and other education settings, to identify other ways to predict inspections.
Last year, website provider Greenhouse School Websites claimed to have “developed an algorithm to accurately tell when Ofsted are looking at your school website.” It signed up thousands of its clients, though some opted out when approached about the scheme.
Further investigation revealed the use of such practices was widespread and an open secret, with discussions on IT forum Edugeek about setting up an “Ofsted early warning” system dating back as far as 2015.
