“Many of the recommendations in this response, some of which are coming in with immediate effect, are very welcome. In particular, the greater focus on inclusion and SEND, better training and support for Ofsted inspectors to improve consistency of inspection, and a shift away from graded judgements reflect the views of school leaders. There are some very bold ideas in the response, including notifying all schools by Monday afternoon of the week they’ll be inspected, with all routine inspections happening on Tuesday and Wednesday; introducing area insights into the proposed new report cards, which will help contextualise school performance; and introducing six new national hubs aimed at making inspection fairer and more transparent.
“However, school leaders will understandably be concerned about the timescales and pace of reform, and whether the changes go far enough. Earlier this week, the government confirmed that new accountability report cards will be introduced from September 2025, but Ofsted have said it will only start consultation on a new inspection framework in early 2025. This comes at a time when the government is about to launch its review into curriculum and assessment, which includes changes to performance measures in its scope. There is a danger that these reforms will not be joined up, and that a rush to do something different will undermine their effectiveness.
“Ofsted certainly needs reform, and their response sets out a blueprint for what changes we can expect, but we absolutely must avoid replacing one flawed system with another one.”