Ofsted has shaken up how and when inspectors access school websites after Schools Week exposed a loophole that offered advance notice of visits to those who monitored downloads.
But the watchdog this week refused to give more details, apparently fearing doing so would allow schools 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 in schools, with discussions on school IT professionals forum Edugeek about setting up an “Ofsted early warning” system dating back as far as 2015.
