Commenting on the speech by Amanda Spielman on proposed changes
to school inspection, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretary, National Education Union, said:
“The National Education Union welcomes the Chief Inspector’s
admission that Ofsted’s focus on data has been a major factor in
schools becoming exam factories. The effects of this are clear
for all to see: the exodus of teachers from the profession and
the rising rates of children and adolescent mental ill health
because of the constant pressure of testing.
“It is clear that Ofsted’s focus on data has achieved the
opposite of what the agency intended. Rather than raising school
standards, Ofsted has caused them to decline. Teachers see the
harm that data driven targets are doing to their pupils and to
themselves as education professionals. No education system can
exceed the quality of its teachers, and our schools are being
starved of that vital resource because the constant pressure on
data driven targets, promoted by Ofsted, is taking the joy out of
teaching and learning.
“Whilst a change in focus is welcome, the National Education
Union remains acutely concerned about the ability of Ofsted to
deliver this change. We will await further detail as to how
Ofsted will find the time to inspect a school’s curriculum in a
one or two day visit to a school. We question how inspectors can
make a fair judgement on the curriculum in this timescale and
with the very variable quality of Ofsted inspectors.
“The National Education Union continues to believe that Ofsted is
an agency which is so discredited that it cannot achieve this
U-turn in its inspection practice. Other high performing
countries operate very different school inspection and
accountability systems. We should learn from the best
international practice and create a new inspection system which
holds schools to account, whilst supporting and developing
teachers and school leaders.”
