7 Concluding remarks
136. Whilst we do not go as far as some evidence
which proposes the complete abolition of Ofsted and of formal
inspection, we do agree with Baroness Perry when she said that
Ofsted "needs some radical change and very radical reform."[204]
The inspectorate as it is now has played a large role in the education
and care of children and young people, as well as in adult, teacher
and prison education, and we acknowledge the considerable good
it has done in a variety of ways. However, we consider that Ofsted
has simply grown too big to provide as effective a service as
could be achieved otherwise.
137. The split of Ofsted into two new Inspectorates
of Education and Children's Care would, we believe, have a significant
impact in a variety of ways. Firstly, it would raise confidence
that the inspection of all settings is being carried out by inspectors
with relevant training and experience. Secondly, it would raise
the profile of the large part of Ofsted's remit—the non-schools
aspects—which currently get much less public attention,
and which many do not realise Ofsted inspects at all. Thirdly,
it would enable different approaches to and mission statements
for inspection to be developed - the current practice of inspecting
all settings under similar arrangements does not sufficiently
respect their differences. Finally, it would ease the recruitment
and workloads of inspectors themselves, who have expressed concerns
that they are not always expert in a setting they find themselves
visiting.
138. The other recommendations in this report
are, we believe, similarly grounded in the evidence we have heard,
and could make a similarly sustained impact on the quality and
value of inspection. In particular, we would encourage Government
to make appropriate use of the evidence base which inspection
itself provides, and are concerned that this is not invariably
the case. We believe that the appointment of Education and Children's
Care Advisers to the Department for Education would go some way
to redressing this.
139. Evidence submitted to our inquiry has made
it clear that inspection has an important role to play in the
education and care of young people across England, and that the
current inspection regime has made some very important contributions.
However, the evidence also compels us to believe that now is the
time for a fundamental shift in how inspection operates. We believe
that a more proportionate, specialist, and focussed inspection
system will play an even greater role in improving outcomes for
children, young people and learners, and we hope that our recommendations
provide a useful foundation on which to build that change.
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