Outstanding schools to have more frequent inspections
OUTSTANDING schools will be subject to routine Ofsted inspections from next year amid concern that dozens have not been assessed for more than a decade.
Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, has confirmed that he will remove the exemption for top-rated schools that has been in place since 2012.
The announcement was last night welcomed by Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools in England, who has previously raised concern over the lack of oversight.
Last year the National Audit Office found that hundreds of schools have not been inspected in the past eight years, and nearly 300 had not been inspected for a decade.
The Government intends for inspections to begin again from January, with schools and colleges that received an outstanding judgment before 2015 now subject to a full review.
Those that have been awarded the
‘Every child deserves an excellent education, giving them the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential’
highest award in the last five years will receive a lighter-touch inspection, although this will be escalated to a full inspection if Ofsted believes standards have slipped.
In a statement, Mr Williamson said: “Every child deserves an excellent education, giving them the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.
“I know parents rely greatly on schools’ Ofsted ratings to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child, and these reforms will give parents even greater confidence, knowing that every Ofsted rating is up to date and relevant to their child.
“We will continue to increase parent choice and drive up standards, as we emerge from the immediate response to the coronavirus pandemic, continuing to build a stronger school system that better serves pupils and families across the country.”
Outstanding schools are currently only inspected if concerns are raised about their performance. However, recent inspections have suggested that standards have slipped at many.
Last night Ms Spielman said: “I very much welcome today’s announcement that will allow Ofsted once again to routinely inspect outstanding schools, as we do for all other schools.”