Ofsted inspections of schools are used in “too blunt a way” by ministers and “careful reform” is needed to reduce the risk of teachers shunning leadership, a report from an ex-government adviser has warned.
The paper by Sam Freedman for the Institute for Government found large cuts in Ofsted’s funding had “put the quality of inspections at risk, even though ministers are more reliant than ever on these judgments to make decisions about firing headteachers”.
Freedman called for an immediate halt to intervention based on two ‘requires improvement’ judgments, and said ministers should provide “much more detailed criteria for intervention to give some reassurance to school leaders”.
But politicians should avoid “radical change purely for the sake of ameliorating the frustrations of some school leaders”, and reform should only proceed if government is “confident it will not risk improvements in standards”.
