Commenting on Ofsted’s Work with Schools, a new report
from the House of Commons Education Select Committee,
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National
Education Union, said:
“The Committee's report suggests some important changes but does
not grasp the true scale of the problem. Any model of change must
begin by understanding the deep crisis that schools are enduring
in respect of workload, staffing, attendance and mental health.
We don't see such an understanding reflected in these
recommendations. While we recognise the greater transparency they
will bring to Ofsted's work, they fall well short of the reform
that we need. They will not significantly relieve the pressure on
schools.
“What this report clearly shows is that the relationship between
Ofsted and the profession has broken down, and trust is next to
non-existent.
“Schools are complex, and single-word judgements are not a
sustainable means of assessing them. Replacing them with a more
considered statement is important, but, as the work of the Beyond
Ofsted commission has shown, dialogue between schools and
'improvement partners' is much more likely to yield genuine
change. We need Ofsted to be replaced altogether by a system of
inspection which is supportive, effective and fair. The
inspectorate in its current form is none of these things.”
