Are no notice inspections fair?

19th September 2014

This week we learned that Ofsted will be making two day unannounced inspections within a two week window in September at around 40 schools nationally.

The official line from Ofsted is that schools will only be targeted with a no notice inspection where concerns have been raised about ‘safeguarding, rapidly-declining standards, the curriculum, leadership or governance.’

 

Ofsted says the no notice inspections have come off the back of the criticism of how the Trojan Horse inquiries into extremism in Birmingham schools were handled.

Sir Michael Wilshaw was keen to explain that the no notice inspections are within Ofsted’s existing regional powers and that he is “currently giving thought to whether Ofsted should move to more routine no notice inspections as part of our wider education inspection reforms.”

 

However ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman has criticised this development, saying that such inspections treated staff like “naughty children”.

He added that “a move to routine no notice inspections would undermine the government’s policy of encouraging the best school leaders to support other schools. Heads would think twice before taking the risk of missing their own school’s inspection.”


The North East currently has the fewest schools in the country judged by Ofsted to be ‘requiring Improvement’. Out of the regions 1,152 schools, 140 require improvement; which is 12 per cent and well below the national average of 17 per cent.

Between April and July Ofsted inspected 55 schools in the North East. The regulator found out of the 56: 5 were Outstanding, 32 were Good, 14 Require Improvement and 4 were Inadequate.


Latest from Ofsted - Out of the region’s 1152 schools:   

Outstanding: 249 schools or 22 per cent      
Above national average of 20 per cent
This places the region as joint second highest (with the North West) outside of London.

Good: 744 schools or 65 per cent
Above national average of 61 per cent.
This places the region joint highest (with the South West) in the country.

Requires Improvement: 140 schools or 12 per cent
Below the national average of 17 per cent.
This means the North East is the region with the fewest schools ‘Requiring Improvement’ in the country.

Inadequate: 19 schools or 2 per cent
Below the national average of 3 per cent.
This means the North East has the joint second (with London) fewest schools that are ‘Inadequate’.