Ofsted may “tighten” the window for inspection, Sir Martyn Oliver told school leaders today.
The chief inspector said he will “look again to see whether I can be tighter on the window of inspection” at the Schools and Academies Show in Birmingham this morning.
Vlog understands that Ofsted is interested in looking at how it can reduce the time spent waiting for notice of inspection and give more clarity to schools over when they will be visited.
However, Sir Martyn said that the new system of report cards needs time to settle.
ڲٱ’s inspection framework will judge schools using a five-point grading scale, but only volunteer schools will be inspected in the ongoing first wave of report-card inspections.
Wellbeing ‘built into’ new Ofsted approach
Sir Martyn added that he “will look if I can be better on the window of inspection, so [schools] are not left thinking, ‘Am I going to be [inspected in] two years, three years?’”
“I am absolutely committed, when things are dialled down, to see if I can make that window better and tighter,” he told delegates.
Sir Martyn also spoke to school leaders and teachers about the new inspection framework.
He said: “Teacher and leader wellbeing is built into every aspect of how we’ve designed this renewed approach. Your workload matters. Your stress levels matter. The sustainability of your leadership matters.”
Schools ‘should be energised’ by Ofsted changes
However, his comments come after an independent wellbeing report, commissioned by Ofsted, said that its plans do not “reduce the pressure on leaders to achieve a desirable outcome”.
Sir Martyn told delegates: “I want you to feel comfortable and motivated by these changes. Not anxious, but energised by a system that accounts for the complexity and richness of what happens in your schools every single day.”
He also emphasised that being “truly inclusive” means “setting high standards”.
“These two things aren’t in tension with each other,” the chief inspector said.
However, experts have raised concerns that, despite ڲٱ’s plan to focus on inclusion, its new inspections will not look at school admissions.
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