Inspection

The latest news, analysis and opinion on inspections at schools in the UK and overseas, from updates to inspection frameworks and guidance on how to prepare

Thursday

29th Aug 2024

Education directors criticise ‘watering down’ of reforms
‘Significant change’ to Scottish qualifications and national education agencies is required – not a ‘surface makeover’, says education directors’ body ADES
Painting over cracks

Tuesday

27th Aug 2024

Don’t rush ‘biggest inspection change in decades’, heads warn
Ofsted’s single-word inspection judgements should be scrapped immediately but a replacement system needs to have the confidence of teachers, says union
Slow down road sign
Exclusive

Wednesday

21st Aug 2024

Education directors criticise plans to inspect councils
Council chiefs say the decision was made with no discussion, and bodes ill for the future of the new independent inspectorate in Scotland
Education directors criticise plans to inspect councils

Tuesday

20th Aug 2024

Wilshaw: ‘Abandon’ the idea of inspecting individual schools
Ofsted cannot inspect every school in the system reliably, says former chief inspector
Sir Michael Wilshaw
Exclusive

Friday

9th Aug 2024

Ofsted told to improve ‘inconsistent’ inspection data
Concern raised by official statistics watchdog over the way Ofsted records ‘incomplete’ inspections
Ofsted told to improve ‘inconsistent’ inspection data
Exclusive

Wednesday

31st Jul 2024

Have Scottish secondaries got too much autonomy?
The freedom given to Scottish secondary schools has fostered innovation but it has also created a risk of inconsistencies and a lack of accountability, says Ed Carlin
Woman held back with tape

Thursday

18th Jul 2024

Over 500 Ofsted inspections delayed in crisis-hit year
Ofsted has published its annual accounts report. Here is everything you need to know
Delayed clock
What will the new ungraded Ofsted inspections look like?
School leaders will be more involved in ungraded inspections from September as Ofsted aims to ‘reduce the burden’ on subject leads
Ofsted inspection

Friday

12th Jul 2024

Ruth Perry review: Councils ‘hamstrung’ over school leader support
An independent review of Reading Council’s actions after the death of the headteacher highlights the ‘folly of a macho culture’ of high-stakes accountability in schools
Ruth Perry review: Councils ‘hamstrung’ over school leader support
Ofsted ‘is facing an existential crisis’
Alternative Big Listen survey suggests the inspectorate has lost the confidence of the sector, with nine in 10 respondents saying it is not fit for purpose
Breakers yard

Thursday

11th Jul 2024

Estyn chief: ‘I want Welsh schools to welcome inspectors’
‘We are not the Dark Side – we are part of the system and willing to engage,’ says Owen Evans, chief inspector of education and training in Wales
Estyn chief inspector: ‘I want Welsh schools to welcome inspectors in’

Friday

28th Jun 2024

Ofsted report card model should have ‘slim’ set of standards
The Association of School and College Leaders has called for the creation of a new statutory set of standards to underpin school accountability reforms proposed by Labour
ASCL proposals ofsted report card shake up