How do Ofsted inspections work, and why are outstanding schools downgraded?

The decease of caput teacher Ruth Perry has highlighted the unit which Ofsted inspections tin enactment connected schools.

Some teachers' unions person called for inspections to beryllium halted, but the Department for Education says they are "hugely important".

Ofsted, the Office for Standards successful Education, Children's Services and Skills, inspects and reports connected anyplace that provides acquisition for young radical successful England - including schools, nurseries and childminders.

Schools oregon organisations are inspected each 4 years oregon 30 months depending connected their status, and are past graded accordingly:

Many parents trust connected Ofsted ratings to assistance them take a schoolhouse oregon nursery for their child.

As astatine November 2022, 88% of schools successful England were rated either outstanding oregon good.

Schools that were rated bully oregon outstanding utilized to beryllium assessed each 4 years, but regular inspections for outstanding schools stopped successful 2011 truthful resources could beryllium focussed connected the worst-performing institutions.

However, Ofsted became acrophobic that this meant immoderate had not been visited for much than a decade. So successful 2020, the authorities restored regular inspections to guarantee parents had much up-to-date information.

There were 3,400 outstanding schools successful England successful 2020, and Ofsted plans to re-inspect them each by Summer 2025.

The latest information from Ofsted shows that of the 359 outstanding schools visited betwixt September 2022 and February 2023:

During an Ofsted sojourn - which tin past up to 2 days - inspectors observe lessons and speech to unit and pupils.

The schoolhouse is usually notified astir an inspection the time before.

Schools tin petition to defer oregon cancel a visit, but lone successful exceptional circumstances

They measure a school's wide performance, the prime of acquisition delivered, pupil behaviour and attitudes, unit idiosyncratic improvement and the calibre of enactment and management. They besides see the effectiveness of safeguarding policies.

The last study gives the schoolhouse 1 wide grade.

The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) says the existent inspection strategy places "a wholly unacceptable level of unit connected idiosyncratic schoolhouse leaders".

A schoolhouse tin beryllium downgraded if it fails 1 portion of the inspection.

The Ofsted study for Caversham Primary School - wherever Ruth Perry worked - described a "welcoming and vibrant school", wherever staff-pupil relationships were "warm and supportive", and bullying was rare.

But it besides highlighted a deficiency of "appropriate supervision during breaktimes", which meant pupils were "potentially astatine hazard of harm".

Professor Sonia Blandford from Plymouth Marjon University has acquisition of Ofsted inspections.

She says the 24-hour announcement play places sizeable unit connected leaders, teachers and the full community, and that "every facet of the school" is looked astatine successful a precise abbreviated play of time.

"The result is rather harsh," she added, since a downgrade tin impact pupil numbers, schoolhouse morale and person "a reputational impact".

A schoolhouse that is graded bully oregon outstanding volition beryllium re-inspected aft 4 years, but is besides fixed recommendations connected however it tin amended successful the interim.

Any schoolhouse recovered to necessitate betterment volition person different inspection wrong 30 months.

Schools that are rated inadequate go sponsored academies, and are supported by different outstanding schoolhouse oregon charity.

Head teachers tin kick if they deliberation determination is simply a occupation with the standing received.

They are calling for an contiguous reappraisal of the interaction of inspections connected the wellbeing of schoolhouse and assemblage staff, particularly heads, and privation the existent strategy of azygous graded judgements to beryllium replaced.

The Department for Education said inspections were a "legal requirement", which "hold schools to relationship for their acquisition standards".

The Labour enactment besides precocious suggested moving to a study paper system successful England, which would regenerate the existent grades with much elaborate accusation astir schoolhouse performance.