Commenting on the Ofsted reliability report, Dr Mary Bousted,
general secretary of Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL),
said:
“Ofsted is to be commended for initiating research into the
reliability of its inspection judgements and this report is
welcome as a first step.
“However, we note that it has taken an unusually long time to
publish the outcomes of research started in September 2015. A
small number of primary schools (26 in total) were involved in
the research and this sample was further constricted by the fact
that all the schools involved were previously judged as good.
“In reality, away from the constraints of research methodology,
inspectors are called upon to make much more complex
judgements.
“In secondary schools, where a greater range of subjects are
taught, inspectors have to make an overall judgement of the
quality of a whole school. Given that there is much greater
variation in teaching quality within schools than between
schools, ATL questions how valid and reliable these inspection
judgements really are.
“Unfortunately, the long-delayed results of this study provides
no answer to this key question.
“The time is overdue for an independent investigation of
Ofsted. The question must be answered: does Ofsted inspect
schools in different areas, with different social intakes,
fairly? Do inspectors inspect the right things and do they come
to accurate judgements?
“Ofsted produces an enormous ‘backwash’ in England’s schools. The
consequences of a poor inspection judgement provoke fear amongst
school leaders and an epidemic of over work in the profession
which is driving teachers and school leaders away from
teaching.
“We have to question whether Ofsted is a catalyst for improved
educational performance in our schools.”
