{"id":224587,"date":"2025-01-31T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=224587"},"modified":"2025-01-30T22:45:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:45:26","slug":"ofsted-report-cards-rushed-and-botched-say-insiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/ofsted-report-cards-rushed-and-botched-say-insiders\/","title":{"rendered":"Ofsted report cards \u2018rushed and botched\u2019, say insiders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Planned Ofsted inspection report cards have been \u201ccobbled together at ridiculous speed\u201d with no underpinning research and concerns by experienced officials ignored, whistleblowers have claimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter sent to unions today, and seen by Schools Week<\/em>, staff claim they have been forced to speak out publicly over the \u201crushed and botched framework<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They say a consultation on the plans, due to launch next week, is a \u201csham\u201d as there will be no time to introduce a model that would differ from Ofsted<\/a>\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also question claims that report cards will be \u201cevolution not revolution\u201d, adding proposals amount to a \u201cwholly different\u201d framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter was sent to Schools Week <\/em>by an Ofsted employee, who did not want to be named, but said they were one of six staff speaking out. They have decades of inspection and school leadership experience between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their concerns also \u201crepresent the feelings and anxieties of a large number\u201d of colleagues, they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources told Schools Week<\/em> that similar concerns have been aired by other Ofsted staff about the pace and input into the new framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff ‘deeply concerned’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Leaked details of Ofsted\u2019s report cards last year stated schools would be judged over multiple categories, on a scale of one to five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter alleges some staff are \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It says: \u201cSenior Ofsted leaders will not permit any questioning or real reflection on the workability of this rushed and botched framework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whistleblowers described plans as a \u201cchaotic mess\u201d. While the current framework was \u201csolidly grounded in the latest and best educational research, the new framework is amateurish and has been cobbled together at ridiculous speed with virtually no underpinning research\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter also alleged the planned consultation is \u201cjust a public relations exercise, not a real consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a sham. By the time the public consultation reports, and pilot inspections have happened, the summer term will be ending and there is simply no time to change anything if inspectors are supposed to be trained and start using the framework in the autumn term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Less than a year from conception to implementation’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They also claimed the new framework is \u201cwholly different\u201d to the current education inspection framework (EIF), introduced in 2019, \u201cin purpose and content\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they warned the new framework is supposed to launch in the new academic year, which was \u201cless than a year from conception to implementation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn contrast, the EIF took over two and a half years to research, consult, develop, pilot and refine before it was launched.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not clear how widespread these feelings are amongst Ofsted staff. But other insiders pointed to a number of senior staff leaving the inspectorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Newman, from the FDA civil servants\u2019 union which represents His Majesty\u2019s Inspectors, said a poll of members in December found they wanted to be consulted more on changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he said that is something which has since happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Ofsted spokesperson said: \u201cOfsted is changing \u2013 for the better. We will shortly be launching a full 12-week consultation on changes to inspection and reporting, which will raise standards for children and provide more detailed information for parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are extremely grateful to colleagues here and in the wider education sector who have contributed to the development of these proposals, and we want to hear back from parents and professionals when they see the detail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘No faith in senior leadership’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the letter, the whistleblowers claimed they \u201chave no faith in senior leadership\u201d to listen to concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have sounded the alarm to unions because they \u201ccare deeply about Ofsted and about the children and professionals it serves, and our concern is causing us to act\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They described themselves as senior HMIs, HMI specialist advisors and an office-based civil service member. Schools Week<\/em> was unable to verify their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Labour government scrapped single-phrase headline judgments for schools with immediate effect in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ofsted has since led on the design of new report cards that will replace the existing inspection reports in the new school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pepe
Pepe Di’Iasio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The changes are being made in response to a coroner\u2019s ruling in late 2023 that an inspection contributed to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns echo those of union bosses, who told Schools Week<\/em> last year they feared Ofsted was \u201crunning away\u201d with the design of report cards.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a briefing for members this week, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di\u2019Iasio said the \u201cproposals that we anticipate from Ofsted \u2013 barring a last-minute change of heart \u2013 seem deeply flawed\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was \u201cmore than concerned about what [the announcement] might say and how it might not necessarily make what was a previously flawed system less flawed going forward\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional reporting by Lydia Chantler-Hicks.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Watchdog whistleblowers say planned consultation is a ‘sham’ and reforms have been ‘cobbled together at ridiculous speed’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":224584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25],"post-theme":[2378],"class_list":["post-224587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ofsted","post-theme-ofsted"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t