Ofsted should highlight the funding pressures currently facing schools “rather than just criticise” them, headteachers’ leaders have warned.
During Covid, Ofsted adapted its framework to allow for the impact of the pandemic on schools and now leaders want the watchdog to take note of the impact of soaring costs on the sector.
Speaking to Tes, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was “very likely” that the “huge financial pressure” on schools, alongside the “consequent need to cut costs, will have an impact on the breadth of the curriculum”.
He said: “We would hope that Ofsted, as an independent watchdog, will highlight the impact of funding pressures rather than just criticising schools and colleges, and adding to their problems”.
Mr Barton added it was “vital” that the watchdog is “prepared to draw attention to the failings of government policy when this affects education provision”.
He added that there was “a serious risk that education standards will suffer as a result of this extremely serious situation unless the government invests more money into the sector as a matter of urgency”.
A Tes survey has revealed that seven in 10 school leaders and teachers fear that spending cuts forced by rising costs are likely to prevent them from delivering a broad and balanced curriculum this year.
Achieving a “broad and balanced” curriculum has been the aim set out for schools by the government and, increasingly, Ofsted, under its current school inspection framework, which was established three years ago.
The framework places an increased emphasis on the school curriculum and on how individual subjects are taught, and how the curriculum is sequenced.
Ofsted will see the effect of cuts
Caroline Derbyshire, chair of Headteachers Roundtable, said the “scale of the cuts” schools will need to make this year will be “vast” unless the government steps in.
“In addition, there will be increases in utility costs even though these will be capped for six months,” she said, the details of which schools are still waiting for.
“Whether we like it or not, the provision that schools will be able to make will diminish and this will damage the quality of education for our children at a time when we are still catching up following the pandemic.
“Of course, Ofsted will see it, too. If you starve a service of funds, the quality will be affected.”
While Ms Derbyshire said she thinks Ofsted has to judge the quality of education, she believes they “should also try to establish why quality may diminish in a cash-strapped school system”.
Pepe Di’Iasio, headteacher of Wales High School in Sheffield, told Tes that over the past couple of weeks, the country has had to “re-evaluate where we are and look at changes”.
Mr Di’Iasio said he hopes the inspections “would take account” of the current situation and “account of the last few years as well”.
“I would argue that the situation this year, with the cost-of-living crisis, is equally as hard hitting [as the pandemic] and I would hope that teams of inspectors visiting a school would take account of that.”
Vic Goddard, co-principal of Passmores Academy, thinks Ofsted needs to “make up its mind” whether it wants “to tell the most important story that’s impacting on children’s progress”.
“A truly independent group would be saying ‘without resources schools will struggle’,” and would send this message to government, said Mr Goddard.
He added that if Ofsted is “truly about system improvement and making sure schools are doing the best job, they should be speaking up when schools are unable to do that job”.
Earlier this week, headteacher of East Preston Junior School Michael Tidd warned that schools failing inspections owing to not being able to deliver a broad curriculum would not “be an instant thing”.
“It will be that things won’t improve in the coming months and years because people can’t afford to do what they need to do,” he said.
Ofsted has been approached for a comment.
