London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Ofsted unfit for purpose, says ex-inspector

Ofsted unfit for purpose, says ex-inspector

A school leader who quit as an Ofsted inspector this week has told the BBC he felt his role could cause "more harm than good".
Dr Martin Hanbury's decision comes after head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life ahead of a report downgrading her school to "inadequate".

Teachers in the National Education Union are also being urged to refuse to do inspections for England's regulator.

Ofsted said most school leaders found them "constructive and collaborative."

The Department for Education said Ofsted has a "crucial role to play in upholding education standards and making sure children are safe in school."

Mr Hanbury, who did not inspect Ms Perry's school, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that regulating schools was important but said the current system was "scrutinising" schools without giving them support.

"At certain points I have felt that what I'm offering the school isn't really helping it to improve," said Mr Hanbury, who also runs Chatsworth Multi Academy Trust in Salford.

"To an extent, and with some people, you're conscious that you're causing perhaps more harm than good."

Asked whether he worried that any of his 33 inspections had made teachers ill, he said: "Yes, I worry about it."

He called the one-word grading system "totally unfit for purpose", adding: "It's a very simplistic way of describing a really complex system. It's like trying to measure a cloud with a ruler.

"An inadequate school is very rarely inadequate in everything it does and, equally, an outstanding school is never outstanding in everything it does."

His comments came after Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, urged senior school leaders not to serve as Ofsted inspectors in a speech at the union's conference.

"Refuse to be part of an inspection team until we have an inspectorate which commands respect, which supports schools to improve," she said.

Senior leaders at the NEU conference told the BBC they believed their counterparts became inspectors to get more information about questions that could be asked about their own schools.

One former head teacher said she had pulled over in her car to cry after narrowly avoiding being downgraded.

On Wednesday, NEU members voted to campaign to discourage participation as Ofsted inspectors.

They also want a freeze on all inspections until a mental health impact assessment on teaching staff is carried out, and for data on work-related suicides to be collected.

School leaders are likely to discuss similar motions at the National Association of Head Teachers' (NAHT) conference this month.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, stressed in an interview with the BBC earlier this week that Ofsted inspectors had a legal right to access schools, and that members would not be encouraged to refuse their entry.

But he said it was a "watershed moment" when it comes to changing the inspection system and that - if steps were not agreed with Ofsted - the NAHT would consider taking action.

That could include encouraging members not to serve as inspectors, or to "no longer co-operate" with inspections.

This week, school bosses of 242 academies told the BBC that said Ofsted must rethink how it does inspections.

Ofsted said they were "first and foremost for children and their parents - looking in depth at the quality of education, behaviour, and how well and safely schools are run".

"We always want inspections to be constructive and collaborative and in the vast majority of cases school leaders agree that they are," it added.

The Department for Education said that inspections were crucial in upholding standards.

A spokesperson said: "They provide independent, up-to-date evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding, and leadership which parents greatly rely on to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child."

Sir Michael Wilshaw, who led Ofsted from 2012 until 2016, told the PM programme that it had been a "force for good" over the years, but added: "There is a groundswell of opinion building up that Ofsted is getting some things wrong."

Describing it as an "urgent issue", he called on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to meet with Ofsted and unions to "work out what is going wrong, if someone is seriously going wrong" and make any "necessary changes".
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Launches AI Features on Select iPhones
JP Morgan Sued Customers Over Viral Cheque Fraud Scheme
King Charles to Continue Global Tours Despite Cancer Diagnosis
Venice Extends Tourist Entry Fee Program to 2025
Tommy Robinson Charged Under Terrorism Act for Phone Offence
Plans to Increase Employers' National Insurance Announced
Washington Post Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan has RESIGNED after owner Jeff Bezos BARRED the endorsement of Kamala Harris.
Massive Theft of Artisan Cheddar from Neal’s Yard Dairy
US Man Charged with Murder of Co-Worker over Breaks
Carbon Monoxide Incident Claims Lives at UK Care Home
Birmingham Airport Evacuated Due to Suspicious Vehicle
Former US President Barack Obama raps the lyrics to Eminem's ‘Lose Yourself’ after the rapper introduces him at a Kamala Harris rally in Detroit
KYIV URGES NORTH KOREAN TROOPS IN UKRAINE TO SURRENDER
Ofcom Identifies Link Between Social Media Posts and UK Unrest
Russian Boxer Receives Lifetime Ban for Illegal Move in Boxing Debut
Biden Labels Trump a Threat to Democracy
McDonald's Linked to E. coli Outbreak Leading to One Death
Teacher Enoch Burke arrested at Wilson’s Hospital School in Ireland after refusing to endorse and affirm transgender ideology.
FBI Investigates Leak of US Intelligence on Israeli Strike Plans
Israeli Airstrike Targets Hezbollah's Financial Resources
China’s Baidu is revolutionizing transportation with its robotaxi service
Angela Rayner Secures Permanent Seat on UK National Security Council
Russian Ambassador Claims UK's Proxy War in Ukraine
Doctor Advocates for Assisted Dying Law Reform
Ruth Davis Appointed as UK’s First Nature Envoy
Pressure Mounts on Starmer to Discuss Reparations at Commonwealth Summit
James Cleverly’s Costly In-Flight Catering for Government Trips
AI Regulation Takes Center Stage in 2024 US Presidential Campaign
NASA Study Explores Potential Microbial Life Beneath Mars' Ice
Cats: The Liquid-Like Pets
Netanyahu Condemns Alleged Hezbollah Assassination Attempt
Liam Payne's Tragic Death: Tributes Pour In
Cuba's Power Struggles: Nationwide Blackout Strikes Again
Xi Jinping Urges Troops to Prepare for Conflict Amid Taiwan Drills
Farage Supported by US PR Team Linked to Steve Bannon
Controversy Over MP's Comments on Female Candidate's Family Responsibilities
Highlights from the Conservative Leadership Contest TV Debate
Childminder Jailed for Inciting Racial Hatred After Southport Attack
NHS England's Repair Bill Soars to Almost £14 Billion
Russia Accused of Using Incendiary Devices to Disrupt Western Confidence
Culture Wars: 'A Dog Whistle to Attack the Right', Says Badenoch
Virtual Reality and Advanced Technologies in Combating Cocaine Addiction
Chancellor Rachel Reeves Assembles Taskforce to Safeguard Financial Stability Amid Increased Borrowing Plans
RAF Typhoon Intercepts Air India Flight After Bomb Threat
Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar Killed in Israeli Operation
Fruit Fly Gut Hormone Study Sheds Light on Human Longevity
Tragic Loss: Liam Payne's Passing in Buenos Aires
Liam Payne's Tragic Death in Buenos Aires
Trump Criticizes Zelensky for Role in Ukraine-Russia War
Yahya Sinwar’s Death Marks Pivotal Moment in Gaza War
×