School watchdog expects inspections delay

School standards watchdogs say they do not expect to be able to resume inspections next month.

Ofsted was due to restart its full inspection programme in the new year after they were suspended in March because of the coronavirus crisis, but the final decision on when they will resume is down to ministers.

Chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, has said she expects an announcement from the Government "very soon".

Speaking at the launch of Ofsted's annual report, Ms Spielman said: "I'm not expecting us to be doing graded inspections from January.

"We need to take account of the national situation. And indeed, we've always said that the timing of our return was under review and also the form of our inspections.

"We do understand what teachers are going through."

Her comments come after school leaders' unions have called for routine Ofsted inspections to remain suspended amid pressures from the pandemic.

Ms Spiel man said that when inspections do return, the watchdog will not be looking at the "challenges of the first lockdown" and it will not expect schools to have "performed miracles".

Addressing the virtual event, the chief inspector added: "I know that some of my audience will see the impact of Covid as a reason why Ofsted shouldn't return to school inspections for a while yet.

“But we owe it to children to have good provision for them wherever they are, and where it isn't, this needs to be known about.

"The normal scrutiny within the system has been absent for a good while now, and it does need to be reintroduced next year."