An alternative consultation on Ofsted is being launched today by former inspectors who think the watchdog’s Big Listen has avoided asking important questions about the future of school inspection.
The Alternative Big Listen will ask people whether they think single-word judgements should be handed out to schools and whether they think Ofsted is fit for purpose.
It will also ask whether Ofsted inspections should be put on hold until a fundamental review has been undertaken.
The alternative consultation is supported by a dozen former inspectors as well as a number of school leaders and also Professor Julia Waters, the sister of headteacher Ruth Perry who took her own life following an Ofsted judgement of the school she ran.
Single-word Ofsted judgements
Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver launched the Big Listen last month to gauge views on the future of inspection, but there have been concerns raised that the right questions have not been asked.
The Big Listen asks respondents to rank the individual judgements that Ofsted makes about schools in order of importance. These include leadership and management, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and personal development.
But it does not ask whether respondents value or support single-word Ofsted judgements, despite this being a major ongoing debate in the sector, and despite a commitment from Labour to consult on scrapping them if they are elected.
The Alternative Big Listen, which is launched today and runs until 12 June, is being led by former inspectors Frank Norris and Colin Richards. It is specifically focused on school inspections.
Mr Norris said: “When we completed the official survey, we were both shocked and sadly not surprised to see the way the questions had been couched.
“It was hard to disagree with the leading questions, but it was also frustrating to not be able to get to the heart of the issues. We hope the Alternative Big Listen will be a more insightful survey.”
The introduction to the former inspectors’ survey says: “The recently appointed chief inspector has responded by commissioning a so-called ‘Big Listen’ to gauge how much professional and public support there is for Ofsted’s current intentions and policies.
“However, it does not allow respondents to judge how successful Ofsted has been in fulfilling those intentions nor does it provide a clear steer in terms of a preferred approach.
“This ‘Alternative Big Listen’ offers an opportunity to remedy these major deficiencies by asking respondents to review Ofsted’s current and past performance.”
Alternative Big Listen
So far, over 10,000 responses have been made to the official questionnaire, the former inspectors said, and added that “many have noted some important elements of inspection are not part of the survey”.
Mr Richards said he and Mr Norris did not agree on “all the changes needed”, but both believed it was “important that the profession and those interested in education have the chance to comment on all aspects and not just the ones Ofsted chooses”.
The Alternative Big Listen asks respondents whether they agree or disagree with the following statements and questions:
- Should Ofsted use one- and two-word judgements to characterise the overall effectiveness of schools?
- There should be a moratorium on school inspections until a fundamental review has been undertaken.
- Overall, Ofsted is fit for purpose.
- The number of schools graded “good” and “outstanding” in England gives you a strong indication of the overall quality of the schools’ system.
- Ofsted should be able to inspect groups that schools may be a part of, such as multi-academy trusts, local authorities, dioceses or owners of large private independent school providers, in order to understand their overall impact on children and learners.
Julia Waters: ‘Vital the right questions are asked’
There have been widespread calls for Ofsted reform following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. An inquest concluded that the inspection contributed to her death.
Her sister, Professor Waters, said: “The case for radical reform of Ofsted is overwhelming. But in order to find the right solutions to the numerous flaws in the current inspection system, it is vital that the right questions are asked.
“Unlike the official Big Listen, the Alternative Big Listen ensures these questions are explicitly ‘on the table’.”
She hoped the answers received “send a clear message to Ofsted and the government” about the direction that reform must take.
‘Space for everyone’
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “Our Big Listen consultation offers plenty of space for everyone to have a say on any issue to do with our work, and of course we’re expecting plenty of people will have a view on judgements.
“The questions we’ve included cover a whole range of topics, but respondents can choose to answer as many or as few of them as they want. And if they want to talk about something else entirely, then there are free-text boxes specifically for that purpose.”
The spokesperson said the Big Listen has had more than 13,000 responses to date.
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