The school inspection system should be transformed to build trust with parents and teachers and drive improvement across all schools, according to the Beyond Ofsted inquiry carried out by a team of UCL researchers.
The inquiry proposes removing Ofsted from direct contact with schools and reforming it to operate at school group-level governance. It also recommends that the inspectorate’s role should change to be fully independent of government and that safeguarding audits should take place under a new national safeguarding body.
Delivered by a team of UCL academics including Professor Jane Perryman (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society), the Beyond Ofsted inquiry is chaired by former Minister for Schools and Learning Lord Jim Knight and sponsored by the National Education Union (NEU). Its advisory board of education experts includes representatives from parent groups, academy trusts, policy groups and academia.
One of the main components of Beyond Ofsted’s recommendations is moving schools to a model of self-evaluation with validation by a School Improvement Partner (SIP). This would typically be someone experienced in school leadership and improvement, including serving headteachers.
