On 1 January 2024, Sir Martyn Oliver took over as His Majesty’s chief inspector (HMCI) of Ofsted, after what could be put mildly as one of the most intense periods of public scrutiny in the inspectorate’s history.

The tragic loss of Ruth Perry and her family’s heartfelt campaigning highlighted widespread demands for change at Ofsted. Over the last year, it became clear that for many teachers and heads, those events reflected a worrying decline in trust in the inspectorate.

After launching our inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools last year, my colleagues and I on the Commons Education Select Committee were struck by the strength of feeling about the nature of its inspections, its single-word judgements, and the various ways in which headteachers say that the very prospect of receiving an inspection exerts pressure and anxiety on them.

Launching our report today, we state our belief that a rigorous system of accountability for schools remains absolutely necessary. Education and the responsibility to keep children safe are too vital for this not to be the case.

Inspections: a better balance

However, we understand that a balance needs to be found between rigour and excessive burden, the independence of the inspectorate and compassion for those working in our schools.

High up the list of factors that weigh heavily on headteachers is the high-stakes nature of inspection, with the threat of academisation if a school is twice branded with “requires improvement”. Our report calls on ministers to reassess this policy.

Regional directors - whom we also believe should receive greater scrutiny - must properly consult with school communities before academisation orders are made, and the Department for Education should set out precise guidance on when these orders are appropriate.

The single-word conundrum

Throughout our inquiry, there was agreement among academics, leaders and the teaching profession that single-word judgements feel too reductive to help gauge the strengths or weaknesses of such complex settings as schools.

Moreover, the reputational damage of receiving these judgements can be long-lasting and painful, even career-ending for some. On the other hand, the then schools minister said the judgements provide simplicity, and outgoing chief inspector Amanda Spielman pointed out that replacing the current judgements would disrupt other policies that hang off them.

Our report calls for both the DfE and Ofsted to build an alternative system that finds the middle ground between nuance and clarity, taking into account best practice elsewhere.

The new chief inspector has taken steps towards ensuring that inspectors are mindful of a headteacher’s wellbeing during an inspection. We also call on the department to ensure its support mechanisms for heads are strong and properly understood.

Safeguarding judgement improvements welcome

Positive changes have also been pledged on safeguarding.

The coroner of Ruth Perry’s inquest stated her concern that safeguarding issues, even if easy to remedy, can pull an otherwise high-performing school down to an “inadequate” grade overall.

This was clearly perverse, so it is reassuring that Ofsted will now give schools time to rectify safeguarding problems before going back to reinspect. We recommend that the DfE holds off initiating academy orders for this period.

Appeals must improve

And what about those occasions where a school is convinced the inspectors have got it wrong? However occasional that might be, a fair system of appeal is essential.

To boost transparency and give schools a fair shot at stating their case, Ofsted should be required to disclose the evidence base it collects during an inspection to a school that has complained, and should strengthen the role of its independent adjudication service.

Otherwise, the inspectorate will, as witnesses to our inquiry put it, still be seen as marking its own homework.

The committee also repeats its longstanding recommendation that multi-academy trusts should be subject to inspection, as well as other ways to make the system more equitable for all types of school, be they a rural primary, a special school or an inner-city secondary in a disadvantaged community.

Our pledge for 2024 is to keep watch over Ofsted’s efforts to win back the sector’s trust.

Robin Walker is chair of the Commons Education Select Committee and former minister for school standards

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