The role and performance of Ofsted

Memorandum submitted by Barnardo’s

1. What the purposes of inspection should be (relating not only to schools but to all organisations, settings and services under Ofsted's remit)

Inspection is about the maintenance and improvement of agreed service standards measured by key performance indicators. Any inspection of such should not impede the delivery of that service nor be overly bureaucratic or burdensome by taking individuals off task for too long. Inspections could focus on specific areas or be whole service specific as required whilst monitoring key performance indicators. The length and weight of inspection should be proportionate to these.

2. The impact of the inspection process on school improvement

There is a belief that the rigor of school improvement is presently underpinned and focussed by the current rigid framework of inspection but I believe good school leaders use key indicators like attendance, exam results, NEET figures etc to ensure their schools constantly improve. I also believe schools would welcome a less proscribed approach to judgements which compel all schools regardless of designation to conform to similar rigid judgements. If this were so, leaders would have the choice to be more creative and innovative in securing good outcomes for pupils. The process of gathering, preparing updating, writing and monitoring evidence for the judgements within the current framework has a huge impact on the Head teacher and senior management time. I do not believe that this justifies the outcomes of inspection and actually takes away time that could be used for real school development.

3. The performance of Ofsted in carrying out its work

My experience has been that Ofsted carries out its work well

4. The consistency and quality of inspection teams in the Ofsted inspection process

My experience has been that the teams are consistent but other head Teachers and Principals have reported to me differently

5. The weight given to different factors within the inspection process

The use of limiting factors is contentious and may lead to overall judgements being misleading. Parents, carers and Local Authorities may only take in headlines rather than read whole ofsted reports. A "good" judgement for Equality and Diversity would limit an overall inspection judgement for a care inspection of boarding provision to "good" even if in every other instance the judgements were outstanding.

6. Whether inspection of all organisations, settings and services to support children's learning and welfare is best conducted by a single inspectorate

Yes, to provide dialogue and consistency.

7. The role of Ofsted in providing an accountability mechanism for schools operating with greater autonomy

All bodies responsible for young people need to be accountable and I believe under whichever umbrella they are set up (Academy, independent etc) they need to have the same accountability. This may mean a slightly diluted/monitoring role for Ofsed but data collection should direct them.

October 2010