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Ofsted is losing its credibility and failing parents, say MPs Ofsted chief rejects MPs' claims it is underperforming
(about 9 hours later)
Ofsted, the independent body that grades schools in England, has found itself on the receiving end of unfavourable scrutiny by government inspectors after MPs rated it as requiring improvement to avoid losing credibility. The chief inspector of schools has defended Ofsted’s work, saying it was “absolutely not” underperforming.
The latest report by the House of Commons’ public accounts committee was critical of Ofsted’s effectiveness in recent years under chief inspectors Michael Wilshaw and Amanda Spielman, saying that its inspection programme was struggling under deep funding cuts, high staff turnover and flawed policies. Amanda Spielman’s comments came as the independent body that grades schools in England found itself on the receiving end of unfavourable scrutiny by government inspectors after MPs rated it as requiring improvement to avoid losing credibility.
The committee said Ofsted’s school inspections budget had been slashed by more than 50% since 1999, which had “undermined families’ ability to make informed decisions about schools,” according to Meg Hillier, the committee’s chair. The report by the House of Commons’ public accounts committee was critical of Ofsted’s effectiveness in recent years under chief inspectors Michael Wilshaw and Spielman, saying that its inspection programme was struggling under deep funding cuts, high staff turnover and flawed policies.
Spielman, the incumbent chief inspector, defended her organisation from the report’s conclusions but warned the organisation was operating at the limits allowed by its current budget. The committee said Ofsted’s school inspections budget had been slashed by more than 50% since 1999, which had “undermined families’ ability to make informed decisions about schools”, according to Meg Hillier, the committee’s chair.
“As with all of the public sector, we have had to do more with less. I remain confident that our inspections provide parents, schools and the government with the assurance they need about school standards,” Spielman said. Spielman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the agency did not “recognise this picture” painted by the report.
“However, as I said at the [PAC] hearing, we have reached the limit in terms of being able to provide that level of assurance within our current funding envelope. Asked if she had fallen out with the committee because she would not say cuts to education funding were having implications for standards, she replied: “We haven’t seen anything yet from school inspections that says that schools are unable to provide a good quality of education by reason of funding.
“That is why, with our ongoing framework review, we are looking at how to ensure that schools and parents get everything they need from our reports, and why many of the committee’s recommendations are already long in train.” “We know there are many things that affect the allocation decisions that schools make. What we haven’t seen is any evidence from what we do that says reductions in school spending are responsible for that.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said the government’s actions had been “entirely wrong” over the last 10 years, “slashing Ofsted’s budget without any reference whatsoever to the wide range of important responsibilities that it has to discharge”. “It makes wonderful headlines when chief inspectors express opinions that aren’t backed up by their evidence, but it doesn’t make for such good decisions.”
Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said the government’s actions had been “entirely wrong” over the past 10 years, “slashing Ofsted’s budget without any reference whatsoever to the wide range of important responsibilities that it has to discharge”.
MPs on the committee said they were disappointed at Spielman’s reluctance to criticise the government over issues such as school funding, with Hillier, the Labour MP who heads the spending watchdog, saying the inspectorate risked becoming “simply a fig leaf for government failures”.MPs on the committee said they were disappointed at Spielman’s reluctance to criticise the government over issues such as school funding, with Hillier, the Labour MP who heads the spending watchdog, saying the inspectorate risked becoming “simply a fig leaf for government failures”.
“Championing standards is an important part of any independent inspector’s remit, and we were disappointed that Her Majesty’s chief inspector seemed reluctant to offer her views about wider issues affecting the school system,” Hillier said. “Championing standards is an important part of any independent inspector’s remit, and we were disappointed that Her Majesty’s chief inspector seemed reluctant to offer her views about wider issues affecting the school system,” she said.
Noting the committee’s “disappointment”, Spielman told the MPs: “My role is to provide parliament and the secretary of state with an evidence-based appraisal of educational standards. It would be irresponsible of me to make comment on those areas where we do not have clear evidence of the impact on standards or young people’s well-being.” Noting the committee’s “disappointment”, Spielman told the MPs: “My role is to provide parliament and the secretary of state with an evidence-based appraisal of educational standards. It would be irresponsible of me to make comment on those areas where we do not have clear evidence of the impact on standards or young people’s wellbeing.”
The committee was highly critical of the number of schools exempted from regular visits by Ofsted inspectors, saying it was “unacceptable” that hundreds of educational establishments rated by inspectors as outstanding could avoid scrutiny for a decade.The committee was highly critical of the number of schools exempted from regular visits by Ofsted inspectors, saying it was “unacceptable” that hundreds of educational establishments rated by inspectors as outstanding could avoid scrutiny for a decade.
“As a result, some pupils go through the whole of primary and secondary school without any independent assessment of their school’s effectiveness. It is reasonable to assume that not all these schools remain at the same level of performance after so many years,” the committee reported.“As a result, some pupils go through the whole of primary and secondary school without any independent assessment of their school’s effectiveness. It is reasonable to assume that not all these schools remain at the same level of performance after so many years,” the committee reported.
The committee ordered the DfE to look at why outstanding schools were exempt from routine re-inspection and report back. The exemption was brought in under Michael Gove in 2011. The committee ordered the Department for Education to look at why outstanding schools were exempt from routine reinspection and report back. The exemption was brought in under Michael Gove in 2011.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is important that the public understands that there is no lack of scrutiny of schools and that, if anything, they are creaking under the strain of excessive scrutiny from multiple directions.” Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is important that the public understands that there is no lack of scrutiny of schools and that, if anything, they are creaking under the strain of excessive scrutiny from multiple directions.”
The committee was critical of the fact that Ofsted had provided erroneous figures on whether all eligible schools had been inspected during a year, when it had instead failed to meet its targets.The committee was critical of the fact that Ofsted had provided erroneous figures on whether all eligible schools had been inspected during a year, when it had instead failed to meet its targets.
“It is not encouraging that Ofsted also misinformed Parliament about the inspections it had carried out – a mistake that further calls into question its effectiveness,” Hillier said. “It is not encouraging that Ofsted also misinformed parliament about the inspections it had carried out – a mistake that further calls into question its effectiveness,” Hillier said.
OfstedOfsted
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House of CommonsHouse of Commons
Education policyEducation policy
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