School inspections will continue, Ofsted boss says

Stopping oregon preventing schoolhouse inspections successful England would beryllium against "children's champion interests", the main inspector of Ofsted has said.

Amanda Spielman said they played an important relation for schools and parents.

Unions person called for them to beryllium paused, aft caput teacher Ruth Perry took her ain beingness portion waiting for a study that downgraded her school.

The authorities says Ofsted has a important relation to play successful upholding acquisition standards.

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said the broader statement astir reforming inspections "to region grades is simply a morganatic one" but it should not suffer show of however grades were presently used.

Following an inspection successful England, schools are rated:

The gradings "give parents a elemental and accessible summary of a school's strengths and weaknesses and are besides present utilized to usher authorities decisions astir erstwhile to intervene successful struggling schools", Ms Spielman said.

"Any changes to the existent strategy would person to conscionable the needs some of parents and of government," she said.

It would beryllium incorrect to accidental excessively overmuch up of the coroner's inquest but Ms Perry's termination "was met with large sadness astatine Ofsted".

"Our schoolhouse inspectors are each erstwhile oregon serving schoolhouse leaders," Ms Spielman said. "They recognize the captious enactment headteachers bash and the pressures they are under."

Ms Spielman acknowledged inspections "can beryllium challenging" but said inspectors ever aimed to behaviour them "with sensitivity arsenic good arsenic professionalism".

Ofsted aimed "to marque inspections arsenic collaborative and constructive arsenic we can" and would stay focused connected improving however it worked with schools and "how inspections consciousness for schoolhouse staff".

This was a hard clip to beryllium a caput teacher, peculiarly since the pandemic, arsenic lack was high, mental-health problems had increased, and "external enactment services are incapable to conscionable accrued demand".

But it was important inspections continued arsenic they played an important relation for schools and parents.

"It looks astatine what children are being taught, assesses however good behaviour is being taught and managed and checks that teachers cognize what to bash if children are being abused oregon harmed," Ms Spielman added.

But National Association of Head Teachers wide caput NAHT Paul Whiteman called continuing inspections a unspeakable mistake.

"We judge this should beryllium a watershed infinitesimal and Ofsted should look astatine this the aforesaid mode too," helium said. "Now is the clip to enactment unneurotic for a wholly caller attack to schoolhouse inspection".

A Department for Education authoritative said Ofsted had a important relation to play successful upholding acquisition standards and ensuring children were harmless successful school.

"They supply independent, up to day evaluations connected the prime of education, safeguarding, and leadership, which parents greatly trust connected to springiness them assurance successful choosing the close schoolhouse for their child," the authoritative added.