Ofsted is in need of major reform and is seen as “not fit for purpose” according to an inquiry into the education inspectorate for England.
The Beyond Ofsted inquiry called for “transformational change” and said it found Ofsted as “having a detrimental impact on schools which some perceive as toxic”.
The inquiry, chaired by former schools minister Lord Jim Knight and sponsored by the National Education Union (NEU), recommends the school inspection system should be overhauled.
Lord Knight said: “The evidence is clear. Ofsted has lost the trust of the teaching profession, and increasingly of parents.
“Our recommendations are designed to restore trust and address the intensification of leader and teacher workload, while reforming a system which is ineffective in its role of school improvement”
The inquiry recommends that schools could “self-evaluate their progress” and work with an external School Improvement Partner who would work long term with the school.
They would validate and support the school to deliver an action plan and parents would be provided with “readable and useful information” instead of a single-word judgment.
