Last year was not a good one for Ofsted. The outcry following headteacher Ruth Perry’s death has forced the inspectorate to make changes. But there is still huge anger out there. What can we expect this academic year, including from the new chief inspector when he takes up his post?
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Discussions about the negative impact of Ofsted inspections are nothing new. Since Ofsted was first introduced, debate has continued about the way in which the regulator impacts on our schools, teachers and pupils.

Much has been written, not least in these pages, about the impact of Ofsted on workload and wellbeing. And earlier this year, in the wake of Ruth Perry’s death, Ofsted was finally forced to act. 

But the changes it proposed are considered by many to be peripheral. Now, with a new HMCI set to take the helm in January, are we about to see a step-change to a more sensitive and proportionate inspection service – or will it be business as usual?

 

A tragedy 

It is well-known within education circles that a bad Ofsted report has huge implications for all those associated with it. It is also well-known, although infrequently talked about, that it has signalled the end of many headteachers’ careers, triggering family breakdowns, mental health issues and more. Comparisons with the cut-throat world of football management are not far off the mark.

However, the fact that the suicide of Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary School, is so clearly linked to a poor and disproportionate inspection outcome has meant that, for once, Ofsted has had no choice but to take note and face the outcry.

The inquest into Ruth Perry’s death is currently scheduled for November. A pre-inquest hearing in July confirmed that Ofsted’s role in the events leading up to the death will be examined (see Adams, 2023).

So it is clear that Ofsted officials will be present and report at the inquest in person and we imagine that this will be the subject of intense media attention and scrutiny.

It will be revealing to see whether the “light brush” changes to the inspection service made since Ruth Perry’s death will be viewed as sufficient in the light of the inquest’s findings.

Already the Association of School and College Leaders and National Association of Head Teachers have voiced their frustration at the lack of more significant reform (see Headteacher Update, 2023).

While all this is happening, a change.org petition calling for an inquiry into the Caversham inspection has now reached around 245,000 signatories and counting.

 

The changes

Safeguarding

A focus of the Ofsted changes has been around inadequate judgements based upon safeguarding issues. 

The inspection report at Caversham Primary rated the school as good in every area except leadership and management, which was rated inadequate mainly due to safeguarding concerns of the inspectors. As such the overall rating was automatically inadequate.

Changes being introduced include that where a school has been graded inadequate due to ineffective safeguarding but where all other judgements are good or better inspectors will return within three months of the report being published. Greater clarification will also be offered, from this September Ofsted has promised, about the thresholds for effective versus ineffective safeguarding.

Ofsted stated: “If the school has been able to resolve the safeguarding concerns it is likely to see its overall grade improve.”

 

Complaints

Ofsted launched a consultation into changes to the complaint system that closes on September 15 (Ofsted, 2023a). Proposals include: 

  • More on-site dialogue during inspections.
  • Allowing a senior HMI to be contacted as soon as the day after an inspection if there are concerns.
  • A general speeding up’ of the process of lodging a complaint and opportunities for complaints to be made at an earlier point in the inspection process.

Some schools do hold out and pursue their complaints, but for the majority there is a tacit understanding that what Ofsted says goes and brave are those who challenge it.

For the 2022/23 academic year, Ofsted’s annual report suggests that there were 247 complaints received from schools but only two inspection grades were changed as a result. In some cases, smaller changes were made to inspection reports and four school inspections were judged to be incomplete, which led to further visits by inspectors.

Two secondary schools have recently sought a judicial review of Ofsted’s inspection findings but were prevented from keeping their inspection reports private until the review was completed.

 

Timing

Schools are to be given more information about the timing of their inspection. This won’t go as far as naming the day, the week or even the month, but schools can expect to be informed about the year they will be inspected in. Ofsted has published details giving schools a better idea of when their next inspection will come (Ofsted, 2023b).

 

Blame culture

Of particular interest to school leaders is the pledge that individuals will not be named or blamed when there are areas of weakness described in inspection reports. This practice should begin from September 2023.

An attempt to depersonalise may help some middle leaders in larger schools but is unlikely to protect the most senior leaders who ultimately will always be held responsible. 

Furthermore, a notable aspect of the Ruth Perry case has been the pressure the headteacher felt while waiting for the report to be published, given she wasn’t allowed to talk about the outcome. 

As such, Ofsted has now said that headteachers can decide which colleagues, or others, they share their inspection outcome with as long as they are “aware that judgements are provisional until the report is finalised”.

 

A change in leadership

We are also facing a change in Ofsted leadership. In July at the Festival of Education, Amanda Spielman made her last speech as chief inspector. Many school leaders had welcomed her change of style and her readiness to tackle certain key issues.

The incoming chief inspector is Sir Martyn Oliver, currently the chief executive of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT). He has been selected by the DfE “because he is an accomplished school and trust leader with a track record of driving up standards in areas with high levels of disadvantage” (DfE, 2023).

Sir Martyn’s pre-appointment appearance before the Education Select Committee took place on September 5. The committee has since declared itself satisfied that he has the “appropriate professional competence and personal independence for the role” (2023). His appointment is now expected to be ratified by Parliament, with Sir Martyn due to begin in the role in January.

So what can we expect? Sir Martyn had previously criticised the changes to Ofsted inspection introduced in 2019, raising concerns that they reduced the focus on pupil outcomes and penalised schools that are focusing on raising academic standards. But during his interview these criticisms were toned down.

However, he did tell MPs that he was concerned about “consistency” under the current framework and added that outcomes were also “important”. While Sir Martyn said that the time was not right for a “revolution”, he did outline three priorities – to listen to the sectors Ofsted inspects, to look at how disadvantaged children are supported, and to get more leaders involved in inspection.

He also signalled his intention to look at one-word judgements. Pressure is mounting on Ofsted to move to more narrative judgements in light of Ruth Perry’s death. Sir Martyn agreed that “it needs looking at” but while he has “some thoughts on it” he intends to “talk to the experts who are delivering on the ground”.

It has also been noted that OGAT, which comprises 41 primary and secondary schools, has some of the highest suspension and exclusion rates in England (see Adams, 2023). However, during his hearing Sir Martyn said that “zero-tolerance is a term I don’t understand, I don’t recognise”. He added that many of the suspensions at OGAT were “very short”.

Elsewhere, Sir Martyn said that attendance had to be a core focus for Ofsted, that inspection of multi-academy trusts were “inevitable”, that off-rolling pupils should be “a sackable offence”, and that inspections should better take into account the level of Education, Health and Care Plans in the school.

Speaking after MPs approved his appointment, Sir Martyn said: “I am looking forward to engaging with all parts of the education sector that Ofsted regulates and inspects through a Big Listen, so that Ofsted is very much of the system and by the system for the benefit of children and parents. I promise to be empathetic, compassionate and understanding of the challenges that those of us working in education, children’s services and skills face, especially in terms of the recovery post-Covid, and will ensure that we always take a holistic view for the good of all children, especially the most vulnerable and those who are disadvantaged.”

 

What do schools want?

Many headteachers are still reluctant to speak on the record about their views of Ofsted. There is a continued fear that doing so will undermine their school in the face of an Ofsted inspection.

Headteacher Anthony David secured two outstanding Ofsted judgements in 2022/23 and took a third school from a likely “inadequate” to a strong “good”. But he still has concerns: “The current framework has been heavily criticised as too rigid and favouring very large primaries and secondary schools. This approach is presented as particularly aggressive and as such lacks an authentic ‘partnership’ review that Ofsted is keen to suggest it is trying to establish.

“The key message is that Ofsted has lost credibility with both the profession and public. The distressing news of Ruth Perry’s death was a critical event that broke a dam filled with negative experiences and drained leaders. The volume of stories that have come to light is overwhelming. To that end Ofsted needs both a communication strategy and deep review of its practice if its aim is to win back favour.”

It is to be hoped that the inquest and Ofsted’s role in Ruth Perry’s death leads to real change. No school leader should ever be placed under such pressure. There are some profound questions here about how we are treating our school leaders and the professionals who dedicate their lives to educating our children. This issue deserves a deep dive of its own.

 

Headteacher Update Autumn Term Edition 2023

This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Autumn Term Edition 2023. This edition was sent free of charge to every primary school in the country in September. A digital edition will be available soon via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads 

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