The newly introduced changes to the Ofsted framework are a step in the right direction; however, the system is inherently flawed and not a true representation of the quality of teaching and learning within a school. That’s for better and worse, too. There are outstanding primary schools that have not been inspected for a very long time that have been placing minimal focus upon the progression of skills in the foundation areas of curriculum.
The drive to improve attainment data in English and maths has resulted in incredibly narrow curriculums being taught to pupils - the blame for that has to be placed upon Ofsted (and government) and its relentless pursuit of results, irrespective of the socioeconomic issues within many schools. Don’t even get me started on budgetary issues.
The only credit I can give Ofsted is that they’ve finally listened to experienced practitioners that use evidence-based research to improve their practice. The new framework should finally reward these schools, even if they perform below national average.
Of course, I fully expect dickheads in the media (who have never stepped foot inside a classroom) to over simplify this policy idea and pretend that Ofsted is important “so that parents can make informed choices”. Tosh.
