By Manny Botwe
Headteacher of Tytherington School, and ASCL President 

Recently, we agreed to take part in a trial pilot visit from Ofsted of the inspectorate’s controversial new framework. 

It was a rare opportunity to welcome six experienced senior HMIs into our school and offer our reflections on the future of inspection. I had promised Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver that I would do this and offer my thoughts in a completely honest and open way. 

You’ll see from what follows that this was a positive and thought-provoking experience.

However, this was a visit which did not have the high stakes of an actual inspection, and I remain unconvinced that it will be possible to roll out a system of such complexity as that proposed in a way that is consistent and reliable.

That said, the visit did highlight for me several areas where Ofsted could evolve to create a system that’s more supportive, constructive, and fair. Below are my key five reflections on how we might improve the system of inspection based on my experience.

1.    A lead Inspector who ‘gets it’ makes all the difference

One thing that really stood out was the role of the lead inspector. The inspector was genuinely compassionate and human, and that made a huge difference. It wasn’t just about ticking boxes – it was about understanding the context of the school and listening to the leaders. When you have an inspector who leads with empathy, it opens up a real dialogue, where school leaders can be honest about where things are working and where there’s room to grow.

After the visit, I wrote to the lead inspector to let them know how many people had come to speak to me about how much they appreciated the team’s warmth and focus on the students. That kind of approach really set the tone for a more open, constructive visit, and it’s something I believe should be standard practice for every inspector.

2.    Let school leaders tell their story

One of the things that would make inspections better is giving school leaders the time and space to share their story. In our case, we had the chance to speak with the lead inspector directly via Teams. That conversation allowed us to talk about our school’s journey since the last inspection – our challenges, improvements, and ongoing work. It was an opportunity to tell our story, rather than being caught on the hoof with unexpected questions. This allowed us to provide real context to the data, something that often gets lost in the rush of an inspection.

Too often, school leaders only get a few minutes to explain the full picture, and in that time, it’s easy for inspectors to miss important nuances. If Ofsted allowed more time for leaders to tell their school’s story, the inspectors would get a clearer, more accurate understanding of where the school is at.

3.    Look up from laptop screens

Another thing that would make inspections better is moving away from relying too heavily on laptops and digital tools. In our trial visit, the inspectors spent much of their time walking around the school, engaging with students, and observing lessons and form time. 

I genuinely felt that this approach allowed them to see more of the school in action. By not being tied to recording information on a laptop, they were free to observe the school environment, the interactions between staff and students, and the overall culture. This direct engagement helped them get a clearer, more authentic picture of what was happening at the school.

Inspectors need to spend more time physically present in classrooms, walking the corridors, and interacting with the school community, rather than being focused primarily on capturing data digitally. This approach leads to a far richer, more accurate understanding of the school.

4.    It was incredibly refreshing to talk about school improvement

As part of the deal to be part of the trial, we were really keen to get some feedback about how we could improve the school. One of the most refreshing aspects of the trial visit was that the focus was on improvement, not just the final outcome. The visit allowed us to talk honestly about where we were succeeding and where we still had work to do. That’s what the inspection process should be about – helping schools improve, not just ranking them based on predefined outcomes.

If Ofsted could shift its mindset to be more about fostering growth rather than just judging schools, it would make a world of difference. This shift would encourage a much more open and honest conversation between inspectors and school leaders, ultimately leading to better results for the school and the students.

5.    A co-constructive process is incredibly empowering

The chance to co-construct the inspection process was another major takeaway. On the first day of the trial visit, we were able to have a conversation with the inspectors about what they still needed to see in order to form a fuller picture of the school. This gave us the opportunity to guide the focus of the second day, ensuring they saw the things that were most relevant to our school.

This co-constructive approach made the visit feel like a collaborative process, not a one-sided assessment. If more inspections allowed school leaders to work with inspectors to shape the focus of the visit, the results would be far more accurate and reflective of the school’s true strengths and areas for improvement.

One last thing … 1.5 days isn’t enough to make a reliable judgement

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the trial visit reinforced something I’ve long believed: 1.5 days isn’t enough to make a reliable judgement under the proposed framework. The trial team was great, but even with a strong team, there’s only so much you can do in such a short amount of time. It would be more sensible to be realistic about the scope of inspection. 

Even implementing all the things I mentioned above, it would be a tough ask to expect a group of inspectors to arrive at consistent and reliable judgements on a five-point grading scale across so many different areas in such a short period of time. 

Conclusion: how we can improve the inspection system

The recent trial visit provided some useful insights into how the inspection process could be improved. From fostering a more compassionate approach to leadership, to allowing school leaders to tell their full story, prioritising time spent in schools, and shifting the focus towards improvement rather than just outcomes – there’s a great deal that Ofsted could do to improve the system.

By embracing these changes, we could create a more constructive inspection process that not only helps hold schools to account but also supports them in their ongoing development. In the end, we all want the same thing: schools that thrive and students who succeed.