School complaints over inspections

SEVERAL complaints have been made to Ofsted about their inspections of Barnsley schools – including a number regarding the behaviour of inspectors – the Chronicle can reveal.

The statistics show six complaints were recorded about Ofsted inspections from providers in Barnsley over the three years to March 2023 – five of which were registered last year.

Ofsted’s inspection process has come under greater scrutiny in the past year, following the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry.

In December a coroner ruled an inspection ‘likely contributed’ to her death, after her school was downgraded from the highest to the lowest rating over safeguarding concerns.

In January the House of Commons Education Committee recommended Ofsted conduct an in-depth review of its complaints process, after hearing evidence the inspectorate was ‘marking its own homework’.

The committee further heard evidence from school staff that the workload required to prepare for inspections can feel ‘crushing’ and ‘relentless’.

Just 18 complaints were fully upheld last year across England.

However, Ofsted was found to be partially in the wrong in 263 cases.

Of these, one was for a complaint made in Barnsley.

NAHT, a union for school leaders, said it welcomed measures to improve the complaints process last year – but it would still like to see an independent body handling them.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the union, said: “More broadly, fundamental reform of the way Ofsted operates is urgently needed to improve the reliability and usefulness of inspections, while reducing the unacceptable toll on the wellbeing and mental health of leaders and teachers.”

An Ofsted spokesperson added: “We want to make sure that our work is always carried out with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect.

“In the vast majority of cases it is – but we take all complaints very seriously.

“We understand that some have found our complaints’ process difficult to navigate, so we recently introduced a new, more transparent process, including the option for leaders to call a senior person at Ofsted if they have any concerns during their inspection.

“We consulted on these measures and they were strongly supported by the sectors we inspect.”

Ofsted said it will respond to the Education Committee’s findings in the coming weeks.

The Barnsley Singers were invited to the town hall last Monday for a special lunch. The group of adult singers, who founded the organisation in 2016, were invited as thanks for their annual performance in the Town Hall Remembrance Day Services since 2018. They gave a live performance of ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ to Mayor Mick Stowe and Mayoress Elaine Stowe, before enjoying lunch. Pictured: Barnsley singers musical director, Luke Mather, and assistant director, Robert Cooper with Mayor and Mayoress Mick and Elaine Stowe.