Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Back on admissions, Oliver says that Ofsted can only inspect those who are on a school roll.

While some call for Ofsted to look at schools that off-roll or put children off coming in the first place, Ofsted "does not have the authority".

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

He says that he receives "thousands of complaints" about SEND provision, which Oliver calls "heartbreaking".

Oliver is looking forward to the DfE's white paper, which will include SEND reforms - he says that the toolkits will be changed in line with this.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver adds that Ofsted will introduce mandatory SEND training.

However, "it is not inclusive to have one child permanently disrupting the behaviour of 29 others in the classroom".

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver reasserts that Ofsted does not have the power to inspect admissions and does not want to.

He believes that the report cards can look at achievement separately to inclusion.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

On inclusion, Oliver says he wants schools "not to fear that taking children with the most complex needs will lead to lower outcomes or data".

This is why data is only the beginning of inspection, Oliver adds.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Ofsted now has around two million sets of data on its HMI, which means it can match primary experts with primary schools & so on.

Ads for inspectors will now specify what school phase it wants inspectors for.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver defends criticism of report cards as being "more ways to fail".

"It's more ways to show the strengths of an organisation" and can offer "help".

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Gilbert adds that the "fear of Ofsted has been building in the system for years" and it has an "unhealthy hold" on the system.

She was not surprised that both unions and those within the sector did not want an additional inspector on site.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver says that he was "utterly shocked" that unions criticised him for introducing another inspector to visits to reduce pressure.

"I have to carry on working with those trade unions really hard to demonstrate that this will be a fairer process going forward."

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Calls for a more granular breakdown is a "fundamental misunderstanding" of what a consultation is, Oliver says.

Former inspectors have criticised Ofsted for this:

www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Do we know what schools really think of Ofsted’s proposed reforms?

With Ofsted opting not to publish full responses to a consultation on its new framework, a survey by former senior inspectors offers a snapshot of what the sector really thinks

www.tes.com

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Why has Ofsted not published the responses to the report card consultation?

Oliver rebuffs this & says that what they have published "openly and transparently".

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

While schools will not be inspected the last week before Christmas this year, Oliver cannot commit to doing this every year.

There are currently 172 volunteer schools that will be inspected from Nov. If Ofsted gets more, this could continue into December.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver says he is "very sorry" about delaying the publication of the report card consultation.

Without delay, he says that it would have been published during the school summer break.

www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Ofsted delay: Sir Martyn's and Bridget Phillipson's letters

Read the full exchange between the Ofsted chief and the education secretary on the 'regrettable' and 'disappointing' delay in the watchdog providing its consultation response

www.tes.com

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

He adds that the ed sec challenged him on why schools getting both the top and bottom 1% of attainment could both get good.

Oliver calls this "remarkable" - "I keep reflecting on this", saying that with each new HMI the proportion of good schools has increased.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver says that he needs to pay more attention to the upcoming changes than people who previously had a negative experience with inspection.

"What I'm building is where my confidence is coming from, not what was."

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

He adds that Ofsted has to "think about primary head teachers far more" and are "doubling down on this".

Lee Owston, Ofsted's national director for education and who wrote the toolkits, was a primary leader too, Oliver says.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver says that he does not understand why Ofsted relied on post-inspection surveys, which are a "massive mismatch" to what is happening on the ground.

"I am determined to fix that," Oliver says & Gilbert adds that the board will also be involved in engagement.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

He says that a met/no-met standard, called for by @ascl-uk.bsky.social would be "dreadful" and represent a "cliff-edge".

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Ofsted chief rejects call for fewer inspection grades

In response to pressure to cut the proposed number of grades, Sir Martyn Oliver says he does not want schools to be told they have met a standard 'and that's good enough'

www.tes.com

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Asked why the unions (mostly) don't support the latest reforms, Oliver says that he "takes his confidence from those who experience inspections".

He says that the new report card is the "most sensible way forward".

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

‘Grave concerns’ for school leaders over ‘punitive’ Ofsted plans

Heads’ union to ask its executive and council if members should be urged to withdraw from work as Ofsted inspectors

www.tes.com

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver says that the framework has been written according to legal standards - "Ofsted will judge schools on what people will rightly expect of them anyway".

He says DfE's latest accountability reforms are "far more proportionate" and "far more reasonable".

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Discussing Sinead Mc Brearty's independent review into the wellbeing impact of Ofsted's reforms, Oliver acknowledges her comment that any inspection causes stress.

"We don't want to be seen to have a hand in that," Oliver adds, listing what they have done to support wellbeing.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver adds that previous HMIs are applying to return to inspecting and trust chief executives are asking to come and work for them.

"We're inundated with people who want to be Ofsted inspectors."

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Oliver adds that Ofsted's inspection framework rollout has been seen by "some people to be too quick" but yet "the urgency has been there".

He is likely alluding to repeated calls from unions to push the rollout back to 2026:

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Delay new Ofsted inspections or risk further deaths, Phillipson told

Coalition of education unions, headteachers and former senior inspectors warns the education secretary about the watchdog's school report card proposals

www.tes.com

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Asked if Ofsted inspectors & staff accept the need for culture change, Gilbert says "a lot of effort" has been made to make things more consistent.

She is also going to look into whether inspectors know their targets and objectives, which was prev. unclear.

1

Cerys Turner @cerysturner.bsky.social · 2h

Gilbert says that members of the board used to be "afraid to say things out loud" and will be very focused on Ofsted's strategy, performance and assurance.

She adds that Ofsted accepts the need for change but does not know how embedded it is across the organisation.

1