Ofsted is seeing an increase in legal challenges to its reports, chief inspector Amanda Spielman has revealed.

She told the Commons Public Accounts Committee today: “If Ofsted issues an unfavourable report, it is understandable if frustrating when the case is very clear that people will throw everything they can at trying to prevent that sticking.”

Ms Spielman told MPs that the rise in challenges was coming particularly from private organisations, such as apprenticeship providers, nurseries and children’s homes.

She said there had been a particular rise in the number of tribunals involving children’s homes, which were tying inspectors up for up to four weeks following an inspection that had lasted a day. But she added that Ofsted was winning around 96 per cent of the cases.

But Ms Spielman could not say how much Ofsted was spending on legal fees, and said she would write to the committee with this figure.

Ofsted reports challenged

The chief inspector added that winning a Court of Appeal case against an academy trust that challenged its damning inspection report was “a lovely Christmas present”

She told MPs that it was the Friday before Christmas when the court announced its decision to overturn the ruling of a judge that the report into Durand Academy was “unfair” because it did not allow the school to effectively challenge the report.

At the time, the academy’s former trust revealed its legal fees in challenging the report were at least £700,000, which it said could have been better spent on pupils.