3Conclusions
Conclusion about the candidate
10.Ms Spielman’s evidence raised for us a number of significant concerns about her suitability for the post. Regrettably, on the basis of these concerns, we are unable to give our support to her appointment.
Wider reflections on the role
11.Notwithstanding our views on the candidate, we have been concerned for some time about the lack of expertise on children’s services amongst Ofsted’s senior management, particularly as Ofsted does not currently have a permanent director of children’s social care. Ofsted’s social care work is currently overshadowed by that on education. In context of recent high profile failures in children’s services over recent years, it deserves a higher profile and is an issue on which strong leadership from Ofsted is needed.
12.Our predecessor Committee called for Ofsted to be split into an Inspectorate for Education and an Inspectorate for Social Care.16 We have reflected upon Ms Spielman’s evidence and that which we have taken so far in this Parliament about the role of Ofsted. In our view, the remit of Ofsted was too large at the time of our predecessors’ report and remains so today. At a time of almost permanent change in education, and increasing reform of children’s social care, we are moving towards a point at which the job of HMCI will be too great for one person. Placing Ofsted’s social care work into a separate inspectorate would help it to gain a greater profile.
13.We reiterate our predecessors’ proposals about the future of Ofsted and call on the Department to make the following changes:
- That a permanent Deputy Chief Inspector be appointed to oversee the inspection of children’s services from the point at which the new Chief Inspector takes up post.
- That the new Chief Inspector be appointed with a specific remit to develop plans for the reformation of Ofsted into two separate inspectorates of (1) education and skills and (2) children’s services.
- That the Department for Education bring forward legislative proposals for Parliament to consider at an early stage of the new Chief Inspector’s tenure.
16 Education Committee, Second Report of Session 2010–12, The Role and Performance of Ofsted, HC 570-I
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06 July 2016