Today, the school leaders’ union NAHT reacts to Ofsted’s publication of its Big Listen exercise; two pieces of independently commissioned research; and Dame Christine Gilbert’s independent learning review.
Reacting to Dame Christine Gilbert’s Independent review of the work of the inspectorate, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT said:
“The independent report by Dame Christine Gilbert has identified a range of very significant issues that the inspectorate will need to address as a matter of urgency. The time for listening is now over, and Ofsted must begin to tackle the major task of reform that lies ahead.
“The report has shown that Ofsted itself needs to undergo major cultural and institutional reform. Issues linked to inconsistency across regional teams, inadequate governance, the use of unofficial guidance and weak performance management systems for inspectors are alarming to read and raise serious questions about the consistency and accuracy of inspections. Dame Christine is also right to shine a spotlight on the complaints process which our members tell us is still not fit for purpose. While these may be hard messages for the organisation to hear, they cannot be ignored or glossed over.
“Dame Christine is right to emphasise both the need to ‘rebalance the accountability model’ and for the government to initiate a debate ‘about the essential elements of a public accountability system’. NAHT is clear that Ofsted requires deep and collaborative reform, not an ‘evolution’ of the current approach.
“Change to how inspections are carried out in England is now inevitable and unavoidable. We need to work towards a more humane and fair system as quickly as possible. That work cannot be carried out in isolation by the inspectorate. It must be carried out in partnership with the profession, and we stand ready to play our part in building a fairer, more humane inspection system."
Reacting to the independent research, Paul Whiteman said:
“We welcome the independent research commissioned as part of the Big Listen - it has confirmed many of the issues NAHT has been raising for years, including our major concerns around the use of single-word judgements. The findings that less than half of parents and only two-fifths of professionals trust the inspectorate reaffirm the scale of the work that now needs to be done. Similarly, the finding that almost half of professionals would be uncomfortable raising a concern during an inspection shows the culture of fear that has grown over many years – this cannot be allowed to continue."
Responding to the Big Listen, Paul Whiteman, said:
“We are pleased that the inspectorate is committing to ensuring that inspections are more tailored to the relevant phase and to improving training for inspectors. The shift to giving schools notice of routine inspections only on a Monday could be a positive step, although the feedback from the pilot will be important. These are small steps within the existing system, but more fundamental reform is now essential.
"As NAHT and others have previously pointed out, much of the quantitative data arising from the Big Listen consultation itself will be of limited value due to the way many of the questions were worded. Not only were key issues ignored, but also many of the questions were presented in a highly leading manner. The concerns we raised about this were not properly addressed. It is therefore hard to see how such data can be used to inform the design of a new approach to inspection. It is important that Ofsted has acknowledged the strength of feeling that came through the free text boxes and the recent announcement that overarching grades will be scrapped is a clear step in the right direction.”
