In 2017, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in England (Ofsted) stated for the first time that all of its work is evidence-led. Specifically, the regulator’s ‘work should be evidence-led and evaluation tools and frameworks should be as precise, valid and reliable as possible’ (Ofsted, 2017, p. 6).
This followed on from the findings and recommendations of a Department for Education in England white paper, which set out an approach to achieving ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, and a two-year study to assess progress towards evidence-informed teaching in England.
These findings were advocated in my previous blog’s call for teachers and school leaders to have essential knowledge of evidence-based research, which continues to be Ofsted’s priority: ‘Our policies, frameworks, judgements and insights are rooted in evidence’ (Ofsted, 2022, p. 5). In its latest strategy report,
Ofsted states that it is guided by principles ‘grounded in what works best to improve outcomes for children and learners’ and that it understands ‘the perverse incentives and unintended consequences their work can have’ (Ofsted, 2022, p. 4).
