The Daily Telegraph - Saturday
Two thirds of parents give backing to Ofsted
Support for status quo despite reform campaign in favour of lowering stress among teachers
ONLY a third of parents of school-age children say Ofsted should be reformed to lower stress for teachers, a survey has found.
A poll by More in Common, the public opinion research agency, found that most parents back the schools inspectorate, with more than two thirds agreeing it is a “good thing”.
The research comes amid renewed pressure on Ofsted from campaigners and teaching unions to reduce the strain on school leaders during inspections.
Earlier this week, Sir Martyn Oliver,
Ofsted’s new chief inspector, said the inspection process needs to be “far more empathetic”.
He was responding to the findings of a coroner, who ruled in December that an inspection had “likely contributed” to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.
Senior coroner Heidi Connor said in the findings of the inquest: “I find that parts of the Ofsted inspection were conducted in a way which lacked fairness, respect and sensitivity.”
The poll by More in Common, conducted last month, found that of 2,041 adults surveyed, less than half, or 42 per cent, said that inspections should be reformed to reduce stress for teachers.
Of the 484 parents with school-age children surveyed, the proportion who believed that the system should be reformed to lower stress for staff fell to 33 per cent.
When asked whether the stress and extra workload caused by Ofsted was worth it to ensure schools are inspected, 44 per cent of parents with children aged 15 or younger said they agreed.
Luke Tryl, UK director, More in Common, said: “While it is important that the new chief inspector builds good relationships with the teaching profession these findings should act as a warning for him to remember that ultimately Ofsted exists for parents and young people – and those parents want to see rigorous, impartial inspection continued and poor performance called out.”
School leaders, campaigners and unions have urged Ofsted to scrap one-word judgments used to rate schools from “outstanding” to “inadquate”.
Writing online for
Libby Nicholas, managing director at Dukes Education, a group of independent schools, and former chief executive of Astrea, an academy trust which oversees 26 state schools, said: “One-word judgments lack nuance, and labels like ‘Inadequate’ carry a profound sense of shame and failure. Inevitably, if a school receives such a rating, the next report often features a different head’s name. This breeds fear. Headship, already a demanding role, becomes a terrifying experience when the fear of reputational damage and personal financial instability that comes with potentially losing your job, looms large.”
However, the More in Common survey found that 61 per cent of parents with school-age children say that the one-word judgment is helpful. Some 28 per cent of parents said the judgments were unhelpful, while 11 per cent said they didn’t know. Ofsted has halted school inspections until Jan 22 to ensure inspectors receive mental health training.
Next week, inspectors will receive training from Mental Health First Aid England who will then lead a rolling programme of further mental health awareness training for all inspectors.
Sir Martyn, former chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, is focusing on Ofsted’s response to the coroner’s inquest into the death of Mrs Perry, and said he will respond in full to the coroner’s findings in the coming weeks, setting out how Ofsted will conduct inspections with “professionalism, courtesy, respect and empathy”.
This week, he met with headteacher unions and Prof Julia Waters, the bereaved sister of Mrs Perry. He will seek views from parents and education professionals about the watchdog’s approach to inspections as part of The Big Listen later this term.