Ofsted’s new rule for only contacting schools about inspections on a Monday will not apply to inspections that have been deferred, the school watchdog has confirmed.
When a deferred inspection is planned, the school watchdog can notify the school of the new inspection date on any day of the week, according to Ofsted’s updated guidance on deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence.
“If we agree to defer the inspection of a state-funded or independent school, we can notify that school of the new inspection date on any day of the week, not just on a Monday,” the watchdog said in an update to the guidance this week.
As part of its response to the Big Listen consultation, Ofsted said that it will contact schools for all routine inspections on a Monday, with the inspections taking place over the following two days.
This will mean school leaders will know by a Monday afternoon if they are being inspected that week, a measure the inspectorate said would help to reduce the stress of waiting.
Leaders received this change positively, with one primary school headteacher writing in Tes saying that the change has already altered his perception of the working week.
According to Ofsted’s guidance, “deferring an inspection” refers to an inspection being rescheduled because it cannot go ahead on the planned dates.
This usually happens during the notification process, and in most cases will be before inspectors arrive on site, or at the first opportunity after inspectors arrive, where providers have no notice of the inspection.
Ofsted has a number of reasons why it will consider a deferral, which includes a recent major incident occurring at the school, a setting closure or if the school has recently converted to an academy.
Tom Middlehurst, curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said Ofsted’s decision to notify schools by the Monday afternoon of the week they will be inspected has been a “really positive move that will improve consistency and help reduce anxiety” for leaders.
He added: “There are very few occasions where an inspection can be deferred, and these include major incidents and other circumstances often completely out of a school’s control. We see no reason why school and college leaders in this situation should be treated any differently.”
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said: “If schools have deferred an inspection, then there are good reasons for that, and Ofsted should be ensuring the process is equitable and fair. Any changes need to make the whole process less stressful and less high stakes for schools, not just easier for Ofsted to administer.”
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