Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report published today in the Financial Times about plans for a new school inspection system based on report cards.
“The changes to inspections are obviously a work in progress, and our aim is to work constructively with the Department for Education and Ofsted towards establishing processes which work well for schools, colleges, parents and children.
“However, it is fair to say that we are concerned about the apparent direction of travel which seems to us to be over-complicated. It is already in the public domain that report cards will assess schools on a range of key areas. It is essential that this is done in a way that is fair, clear and simple.
“The DfE and Ofsted must take the appropriate time necessary to bring the profession and parents with them so that any changes can be communicated and considered before landing in schools and colleges.
“While we cannot divulge the discussions taking place we are worried about what the DfE and Ofsted appear to have in mind. It feels as though they are engaged in a headlong rush to devise a new system against a very tight timetable in order to have it up and running by next September.
“We’d support them if they wanted to take longer as it is vital to get this right.”