The current Ofsted inspection system for schools has generated such a level of mistrust, even perceptions of ‘toxicity’, that it needs extensive reform, and to be paused immediately while an alternative system is developed. This is the overarching conclusion of the Beyond Ofsted Inquiry, for which we provided the research.
We have spent several months collecting data from teachers, school leaders, parents, governors and key policymakers about the impact of Ofsted and options for reform, through a survey and series of focus groups. Based on this feedback and a review of the wider evidence base, the inquiry report proposes transformative change, setting out a new model based around supported school self-evaluation and the refocusing of Ofsted on school/trust-level governance. In tandem, it calls for an immediate moratorium on routine inspections, principally to allow for such a rebuilding of the inspection system. Given the strength of feeling among our respondents, such a pause is also arguably an immediate matter of duty of care to the teaching profession.
As reported recently, our survey of 6,708 educators from both primary and secondary schools found that 92% of teachers say Ofsted is not a reliable and trusted arbiter of school standards, while 89% say Ofsted inspections are not a valid method of measuring school performance. Importantly, we found that even those teachers and leaders who are ‘winners’ under the current system (because their schools are graded Outstanding or Good) are unhappy with the current regime.
