A headteachers’ leader has questioned whether Ofsted’s curriculum-focused inspections are fit for purpose as schools work on recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.

Nick Brook, the deputy general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, has also raised doubts over whether the watchdog can reach reliable judgements using its current framework after the pandemic.

In a speech to the Association of School and College Leaders conference today, Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said that routine schools inspections are set to return in the autumn but that some “transitional arrangements” may be needed to take account of the context schools are working in.

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Speaking to Tes before Ms Spielman gave her speech, Mr Brook questioned whether Ofsted should return to using the education inspection framework (EIF) when its inspections resume.

The framework, brought in by Ms Spielman in September 2019, places an increased focus on the curriculum - its intent, implementation and impact - in measuring the quality of education schools provide.

Mr Brook said: “Ofsted appears to want to get back to inspecting schools fully under the education inspection framework as soon it can.

“I think it needs to answer two questions: can it inspect schools reliably in the current circumstances using this framework and should it be doing so?

“Ofsted should only return to graded inspections if it can make judgements fairly and reliably.

“I think there is a real question about whether a good judgement achieved now could be comparable to one which was given to a school in January or February 2020 given how much in education has changed during the Covid pandemic.

“The framework still relied on performance data to make judgements about the curriculum impact and so there is a question about how Ofsted would measure curriculum impact now. What would it be using to make those judgements and how reliable will that be?”

Preparing for Ofsted inspection

Mr Brook also questioned whether the existing framework would match the government’s focus on recovery from the pandemic.

He added: “I am already hearing from heads who have been approached by their local authorities about preparing for a potential future Ofsted inspection. This is already happening. 

“Are conversations about curriculum intent, implementation and impact what school leaders need to be doing right now?

“The only game in town for schools should be understanding the needs of their pupils after the lockdown and responding to them, but the prospect of Ofsted returning is distracting them from that.”

Ofsed’s return to full inspections has now been pushed back twice. They were originally due to begin routine inspections in January but this was delayed until the summer term.

Mr Brook continued: “I think there is a real question about whether the EIF is fit for purpose.

“Is it the right model for Ofsted and the Department for Education to be using for the next few terms and beyond given that the government has made clear that recovery from the pandemic is the national priority for education during this Parliament?   

“Should the system be reverting back to how it was before the Covid crisis or should Ofsted look to build on the more supportive approach it took its autumn visits to schools last year?”

Mr Brook said he hoped this question would be discussed during a school leaders’ summit, organised by the NAHT, taking place tomorrow.

Ofsted declined to comment.

‘Focus on the curriculum’

However, Ms Spielman was asked whether the current inspection framework was fit for purpose during the Covid crisis in a question-and-answer session at ASCL’s conference today.

She said: “It is an understandable and important question and one we have been spending a lot of time on and talking to ASCL and other stakeholders about.

“I think what is emerging from those conversation is the principles on which the EIF was built still very much stand: that focus on what is taught and how it is being taught.

“The focus on the curriculum itself and much less emphasis on published results is probably quite handy given that results aren’t going to be measured in the same way or published for a couple of years and I think that makes the EIF quite flexible with the situation we are now in with exams cancelled.”

Ms Spielman said that the autumn visits and the monitoring inspections that have been carried out by inspectors this term have given Ofsted a clear picture of the context people are working on during the Covid crisis.

She added: “The core of the framework is fit for purpose but will need some flexing and some transitional arrangements as we did when we introduced the EIF to make allowances for the context.”