The future of a school should not turn on a one-word Ofsted judgment

sir – When I was an Ofsted inspector (Letters, March 25) in the 1990s, a team of six or seven would go into a school for five days. Every teacher had lesson reviews, usually by more than one inspector. The quality of outcomes in children’s work were carefully perused, as were the policies and practices for the curriculum, school management and leadership. Equally, the culture of the school, social well-being of pupils and parent perceptions were appraised. An outline report was usually presented to the head teacher and governors on a Friday.

It was not a perfect system and was potentially stressful for the school. But my colleagues and I were able to celebrate excellent teaching and good practice through feedback, which many teachers had never received in their working lives.

However, government cutbacks and pressure to save money have reduced this systematic process to one in which one or two inspectors visit a school for one or two days. Statistics are all, and tick boxes affirm what’s happening with little or no overview of teaching practice. The flavour of the day, such as inclusion and diversity, can determine that final one-word judgment.

Clearly, inspection is necessary to hold schools and their governors to account on behalf of parents and the taxpayer. But these judgments must be based on substantial evidence. This cannot be communicated in one word. Peter Williman

Chatteris, Cambridgeshire

sir – Ofsted inspections were originally developed to go hand in hand with the national curriculum, in order to ensure that all schools were providing the same standard and quality of education, and that all pupils had the same opportunities for learning. They were not designed to provide league tables.

When I was a headmistress, I found that inspectors were thorough, keen to acknowledge what a school was doing well, and, where necessary, able to provide advice for improvements and sometimes even offer hands-on help.

Today, inspectors apparently look at data, declare a one-word grade and walk away. This does nothing to ensure a good education for pupils. Elizabeth Griffin

Shrewsbury

sir – There has been much criticism of Ofsted’s choice of one word – from “outstanding” to “inadequate” – in reporting on a school’s performance. However, this headline summation is always accompanied by a clear and detailed explanation of the process used to reach that conclusion, including consultations with pupils, staff, parents and governors. The reports are then published online and are freely available for anyone to read.

Nobody particularly enjoys being subjected to scrutiny, and the process can be stressful, but inspectors are invariably respectful, considerate and above all fair. I know, because I have experienced several of them during my teaching career.

David Harrison Lytham St Annes, Lancashire