‘Outstanding’-rated schools on Ofsted inspection alert

Most staff in ‘outstanding’ schools think inspection this year is likely after the removal of exemption, poll suggests

1st October 2021, 4:47pm

Teachers In 'outstanding' Schools On Alert For Ofsted Inspection

More than two-thirds of teachers working in “outstanding” schools think they are very likely or quite likely to be inspected by Ofsted this academic year, polling reveals.

“Outstanding”-rated schools are now part of Ofsted’s routine inspection programme after an exemption, which had been in place for most of the past decade, was lifted.

And the schools watchdog has also resumed its programme of full inspections for the first time since the pandemic put it on hold in March last year.

Background: What Ofsted inspectors have been told this term

New term: Ofsted set to return to full inspection programme

Covid: How Ofsted is changing inspection because of pandemic impact

A survey by Teacher Tapp suggests that staff in “outstanding” schools are on alert about the prospect of being inspected again.

It reveals that 41 per cent of staff in top-rated schools thought it was very likely that Ofsted would visit before the end of the academic year, and another 27 per cent said it was quite likely.

Ofsted resumes school inspections

The figures show that staff in “outstanding”-rated schools are more likely than staff in schools that are judged to be “good” to expect an Ofsted visit now full inspections have resumed.

But they are less likely to expect an Ofsted check than those working in schools that are rated as less than “good”.

Overall, more than a third of survey respondents across all schools (37 per cent) thought it was highly likely that Ofsed will inspect them this year and another 22 per cent said it was quite likely.

The figures are based on more than 5,000 teachers using the Teacher Tapp app.

Another 18 per cent said it was “possible” that Ofsted would visit their school, while 12 per cent said it was not very likely and 8 per cent said it was very unlikely.

In schools that are rated as “good”, 28 per cent of teachers thought a visit was very likely and another 22 per cent thought it quite likely.

Of heads in schools rated as “requires improvement” or “inadequate” - who are inspected more regularly - 64 per cent said that a visit was very likely and 16 per cent said it was quite likely.

Ofsted has said it will inspect schools in broadly the same order as it did before the pandemic.

But schools have been told to expect delays from the inspection timetable that existed before Covid

All schools could see their inspection window extended by up to six terms.

This means that schools can expect an inspection up to four and half years after their last one if they are rated less than “good”. And up to six years from their last inspection if they were rated as “good”.

Ofsted said there will be more inspections per year because of the removal of the exemption for “outstanding” schools.

This has meant that several thousand schools will be inspected that weren’t subject to routine inspection before the pandemic.

The inspectorate said that these will be completed in two tranches, which will run simultaneously, starting this term.

Firstly, full section 5 inspections for schools, which can result in schools being regraded, will be carried out for those last inspected before September 2015; and secondly, section 8 inspections will be carried out for “outstanding” schools that were last inspected since September 2015.

The Covid pandemic has meant Ofsted has a backlog of inspections.

Tes has previously revealed that the statutory timetable within which schools have to be inspected was being extended by two years following the disruption caused by Covid, which halted inspections for more than a year.