Schools are facing the most chaotic and challenging circumstances since 1945, in attempting to provide education to this nation’s children. Yet, in little over a week’s time, Ofsted will begin making formal visits to schools. 

So far, the inspectorate has been wholly dismissive of the significant concerns raised by the profession about this, and has flatly rejected calls to delay visits and to change plans to publish outcome letters to parents. 

This whole debacle has illustrated just how much Ofsted has become obsessively focused on the parental audience, even when this serves only to undermine its core purpose of raising standards in schools. Take, for example, the recent dumbing-down of inspection reports, which now provide little professional insight into schools.

Effective inspectorates balance the interests of parents, schools and government. Sadly, of late, Ofsted appears more interested in simply playing to the gallery.

Coronavirus: What is the point of these Ofsted school visits?

Ofsted has said repeatedly that it would be unacceptable not to report to parents, but has failed to provide a good explanation as to why. Let’s be clear: these visits will not provide reassurance to parents, and it is pure spin to suggest otherwise.

The vast majority of parents in this country will receive no letter of reassurance from Ofsted, as only 5 per cent of schools will be visited. 

Ofsted has said that it will take 38 working days to process these letters, meaning that parents will wait nearly two months after the actual visit before they receive a letter. Given the speed at which circumstances inside and outside schools are evolving, by then these letters are likely to be of historical interest only. 

Put simply: Ofsted’s plans appear off the pace, in all aspects.

Schools in crisis-response mode

I make no criticism of the HMIs who will be conducting the visits. From what we’ve heard so far from the pilots, they are acting with the empathy and professionalism that you would expect from former school leaders. 

On the other hand, we are also hearing increasing concerns about the levels of stress among senior school staff, following a long summer of preparation and the repercussions of staff absence. They tell us that the prospect of a full-day visit from two HMI is a burden and anxiety that they could well do without. 

Schools are in crisis-response mode: making minute-by-minute decisions on what’s working and what needs to change. Any intervention at this time has to help, not hinder. 

If Ofsted is to visit schools, then the most obvious way that it could add some value would be to identify interesting practice and share this, in real time and in sufficient detail, with other schools as rapidly as possible.

Schools are all dealing with similar challenges when interpreting government guidance, and coming up with different answers. Take, for example, arrangements for smoothing the flow of pupils - and their parents - into school through staggered start times. Visibility of differing approaches would be a massive help to those struggling to find the right solution. 

Yet there are no real plans to do this. At least not this year. By the time these insights become public, I suspect schools will be dealing with a whole different set of issues.

Too little information, coming far too late

Our understanding from the pilot visits is that the evidence is being gathered - reams of it - but plans to share this across the sector appear under-developed and half-hearted, to say the least.

We have been told that that these insights will be distilled down into short monthly HMCI commentaries, with a fuller evaluative report coming some time in 2021. This is too little information, coming far too late to be useful - to schools, government or, indeed, parents. 

The potential value to government of research visits to schools - by providing insight into how different pupil groups and communities have been affected by the crisis - requires the ability to gather and synthesise evidence rapidly. It will only be of use if it goes beneath the headlines to tell government something of value that it does not already know. 

Waiting a month between each update seems a very long time right now - certainly in comparison with the daily feedback we at NAHT are providing the Department for Education in response to the concerns and comments of school leaders.

In short, the education world is adapting at a pace that Ofsted seems incapable of keeping up with.

An appalling failure of judgement

The high-handed and dismissive way in which genuine concerns and practical suggestions - from the profession and from Ofsted’s own inspectors - have been cast aside hints at far bigger challenges at the inspectorate. It is an appalling failure of judgement to pursue an unnecessary course of action, which aligns both friends and foes of Ofsted in opposition to its approach, undoing any good work of recent times.

In attempting to prove its relevance, Ofsted has instead shown how removed it has become from the reality on the ground. 

Making participation in the visits voluntary would have gone a long way towards reassuring schools that Ofsted actually understands the enormous pressure they are under right now.

A series of rapid reviews could have been infinitely more useful, in terms of providing insight to parents, schools and government. Breathing life back into their good-practice microsite might even have helped by giving something of value back to the profession. 

This is a missed opportunity to step up and be useful. 

Nick Brook is the deputy general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union