Headteachers’ leaders met with Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman last night to raise schools’ concerns about the way inspections are being carried out this term.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that heads have been raising “strongly worded” objections about Ofsted inspecting during the pandemic “as if these are normal times.”
And he also highlighted school leaders’ fears that the focus of inspection had in some cases appeared to have moved away from the curriculum, which is what schools had been expecting, towards safeguarding and sexual harassment.
New term : ‘Outstanding’-rated schools on Ofsted alert
Background: What Ofsted inspectors have been told this term
School inspections: Ofsted set to return to full inspection programme
The concerns come after Ofsted returned to a full programme of inspections this term for the first time since the Covid crisis led to it being put on hold, in March last year.
In a video message to ASCL members today, Mr Barton said: “We got your concerns around Ofsted - quite a few strongly worded concerns on two fronts.
Fears about school Ofsted inpections
“First of all: ‘These are not normal times, and yet the inspections going on at the moment are proceeding as if they are normal times - can that possibly be right?’
“And then, secondly, as one of you said to me: ‘It feels like the schedule, which we were expecting to be assessed about the development of a curriculum, the implementation of that, the impact of the curriculum, suddenly feels like actually that’s been pushed to the margins and what it now feels as if it’s more about safeguarding, about sexual harassment, and about student perceptions on those issues.’”
Mr Barton added that ASCL’s leadership had been “alarmed enough” about the issues being raised that it had asked for a meeting with Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, which took place last night
Heads’ leaders also met with Chris Russell, Ofsted’s national director of education, and Mr Barton said ASCL was hoping Mr Russell would be meeting with ASCL’s council on the issue next week.
Mr Barton described last night’s meeting as a “very constructive discussion”.
Ofsted has been approached for comment.
