NASUWT comments on Ofsted changes
Commenting on the announcement of changes to the Ofsted inspection system by Sir Michael Wilshaw, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“This is yet another ad-hoc announcement by the inspectorate, causing turbulence and destabilising schools and teachers when what is needed is a coherent approach to the reform of the accountability system.
“This announcement fails to address the most serious issues which schools and teachers have with Ofsted-namely the extent to which inspection is driving schools to focus on preparing for Ofsted, rather than on the needs of children and young people.
“The focus on making judgements about a schools’ effectiveness through a focus on performance data will actually exacerbate the pressures on schools, encouraging even more data churning.
“Problems of ‘gaming’ in the system, narrowing of the curriculum and teaching to the test which are the result of the current accountability framework will remain, simply replacing one high stakes system with another.
“The NASUWT has been consistently raising concerns about the variability of the judgements Ofsted makes about schools. Moving to position where all inspectors are employed by Ofsted is a step in the right direction in addressing this problem, but falls short of what is required which is a fundamental reform of the school accountability regime.
“We need a fit for purpose accountability system which supports schools to ensure that all young people are enabled to reach their full potential.”
Lena Davies
Press and Media Officer
NASUWT
0121 457 6250 / 07867 392746
lena.davies@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
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