The government’s preferred candidate to be the next Ofsted chief inspector has told MPs that school results are important but should not be the only factor in determining inspection grades.
Sir Martyn Oliver, chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), faced scrutiny from MPs today at a pre-appointment hearing for the role of His Majesty’s chief inspector.
He was questioned about his past criticism of Ofsted’s curriculum-focused school inspections and about his views on the use of single-word school inspection judgements.
Tes revealed earlier this year that he was in the running to succeed Amanda Spielman as chief inspector from next year and he was announced as the government’s preferred candidate in July.
Here are eight things he told MPs on the Commons Education Committee today:
1. Importance of school results
Sir Martyn was a high-profile critic of Ofsted’s current inspection framework after it was introduced in 2019 by chief inspector Amanda Spielman.
The Education Inspection Framework places an increased emphasis on the school curriculum and gives less weight to exam results and test scores than the previous framework.
Sir Martyn was one of a number of high-profile multi-academy trust chief executives who raised concerns that the framework disadvantaged poorer pupils and penalised schools who choose to run GCSEs over three years.
Asked about this today, Sir Martyn said he was concerned at the time about the consistency of inspection, but added that Ms Spielman should be “be hugely congratulated for forcing the substance of education front and centre” through the Ofsted framework she introduced.
Sir Martyn said: “The substance of education is important but outcomes are.” He then added: “I find it is difficult to explain how you get [schools with] some of the worst outcomes in the country getting a good inspection.”
However, he also told MPs that in the post-Covid era it would be hard to be in a position where “outcomes equals an Ofsted grade” and that “this wouldn’t do anyone any favours”.
2. Single-word inspection judgements
There has been major debate on the future of single-word inspection judgements this year. Labour has said it will consult on replacing them with a score card if elected next year.
The Association of School and College Leaders has called for them to be scrapped and the Confederation of School Trusts has called for their use to be reviewed.
Sir Martyn was asked about whether there can be confidence in single-word judgements of schools when they can change from “inadequate” to “good” in a period of six months.
He said that if a school had safeguarding as its only area where it was “inadequate” this could be resolved and result in a change of grades.
But he added: “I do think it needs looking at it - because I do think it leads to a sense of, is there a sense of trust in the system that you can move from one judgment to the other?”
He said he had some thoughts on the use of inspection grades, which were “formative” at this stage. He told MPs he wanted to speak to experts in inspection “who are delivering on the ground and have been doing it for years”.
3. Holistic reporting of local area performance
When asked what his main priorities were, Sir Martyn said that he has already held discussions with Ofsted about moving to a more holistic reporting system for the performance of education and children’s services in local areas.
He told MPs that it was difficult to find out how all 152 local education authorities are doing “in all of their aspects”.
He also said he wanted to build on progress made during the pandemic, which saw barriers between multi-academy trusts and local councils being broken down.
4. Recovery from ‘disaster of Covid’
The first question Sir Martyn was asked by committee chairman Robin Walker was what qualities he would bring to the role.
He told MPs that he had 28 years of experience working in schools - 14 in maintained schools and 14 in a multi-academy trust. Sir Martyn said OGAT has predominantly been working with disadvantaged schools.
“I think this is a moment in time where we are coming out of a disaster, which was Covid, and disaster recovery is the hardest part of a disaster. We are facing such challenges as a country and I want to bring my experience to lead Ofsted through this period.”
5. Ofsted should do a ‘big listen’ and not be seen as ‘combative or cold’
When asked what his priorities would be as chief inspector, Sir Martyn said the last thing the system needs now is a “revelation or a revolution”.
The first thing he would do as Ofsted chief inspector was have a “big listen”.
“In the past people have talked about it being combative or cold; we need to be empathetic to the challenges that the system is facing,” he said.
He also made a plea to headteachers, trade unions and professional bodies to become more involved in inspection.
6. Calls for Ofsted deep dive into attendance
Sir Martyn said he “desperately” needed Ofsted to carry out a thematic review into attendance.
This was in response to a question about what he would do to support disadvantaged pupils.
On attendance, he said: “We need to go out and see the best practice. But it’s then not a question of producing an academic paper.”
He suggested Ofsted could signpost good practice to other schools and said this could involve a breakdown of how the attendance approach works, who they employ, what the job specification is and how much they pay them. Sir Martyn said this is “what heads needed” rather than an “airy-fairy” approach suggesting what schools might do.
7. Relocation of HMCI base from London to the North
Long-standing education committee member Ian Mearns said that unlike some of his predecessors, Sir Martyn has spent much of his career in the North of England and asked how this experience would help him in the role.
Sir Martyn said he has asked the Ofsted board if the base for the chief inspector can be moved to the North of England.
OGAT predominantly serves schools in the North of England and started as a MAT from Outwood Grange Academy in Wakefield under the last Labour government.
8. ‘Delighted’ by Ofsted complaints review
Sir Martyn said that he was delighted to see that Ofsted was consulting on changes to its process for handling complaints.
The change was one of a number of proposals put forward by the watchdog following months of calls for reforms to inspections.
Under the changes being proposed, the watchdog’s current three-step complaints process would be replaced by a system that would allow schools to complain formally and to an independent adjudicator more quickly.
Sir Martyn said: “It is an area where I will be really interested to see the outcome of the consultation and how His Majesty’s chief inspector - if that’s me, if appointed - how then I can take that forward.”
