Commenting on the PAC report into Ofsted, Kevin
Courtney, joint general secretary, National Education Union,
said:
“The PAC report highlights some significant concerns about Ofsted
– that it doesn’t listen sufficiently to parents’ views about
their school, that it has failed to provide accurate information
to Parliament and that the chief inspector (HMCI) has failed to
speak truth to power.
The report also rightly criticises the Department for Education
for failing to address the confusion and duplication of roles of
Ofsted and the Regional Schools Commissioners in respect of
school improvement. This wastes taxpayers’ money and means
schools in need of support may fall through the gap.
“However on the key issues the PAC report fails to grasp the
nettle. What we need is a root and branch reform of school
inspection. We need to empower teachers and school leaders to
identify areas of strength and weakness in their school. All
local schools should work collaboratively, not in
competition, through peer review to ensure our school system as a
whole continues to provide the highest quality education possible
for all children and young people.
“The National Education Union believes the current school
inspection system is not fit for purpose. There is an
inconsistent approach to the use of data and the approach taken
by inspectors, and serious concerns about the quality of
inspectors. The absence of respectful professional dialogue
between inspectors and teachers is harmful. An effective school
evaluation system should enable schools to 'know themselves'
honestly in order to support their development and
effectiveness. The current system de-skills teachers and
disempowers school leaders.
“It is time for a complete overhaul. Ofsted must be
abolished and replaced with a system of school self-review and
peer evaluation, with quality assurance by local inspectors
(HMIs) and an HMCI that is unafraid to speak truth to
power”.
