Ofsted
Encyclopedia
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is the non-ministerial government department
of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England (HMCI).
HMCI and Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) are appointed by Order in Council and are thus office holders under the Crown.
Though the inspectorate has existed since the mid-19th century, the office was reorganised under the Education (Schools) Act 1992
, and is explicitly named in the Education and Inspections Act 2006
.
The services Ofsted inspects or regulates include: local services, childminding, child day care
, children’s centres, children’s social care, Cafcass, state schools, independent schools and teacher training providers, colleges and learning and skills providers in England
. It also monitors the work of the Independent Schools Inspectorate
.
HMI are empowered and required to provide independent advice to the United Kingdom government and parliament on matters of policy and to publish an annual report to parliament on the quality of educational provision in England
.
The Education and Training Inspectorate in Northern Ireland, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
in Scotland, and Estyn
in Wales perform similar functions within their education systems.
Ofsted's head office is in Kingsway
, Holborn
in central London
.
, which respectively provided Church of England
and non-denominational elementary schools for poor children.
To monitor the effectiveness of the grant, two inspectors of schools were appointed in 1837, Seymour Tremenheere and the Revd John Allen.
Dr J.P. Kay-Shuttleworth, then secretary of the Privy Council
education committee, ensured that the inspectors were appointed by Order in Council to guard their independence.
The grant and inspection system were extended in 1847 to Roman Catholic elementary schools established by the Catholic Poor School Committee.
Inspectors were organised on denominational lines, with the churches having a say in the choice of inspectors, until 1876, when inspectors were re-organised by area.
After the Education Act 1902
, inspections were expanded to state-funded secondary schools along similar lines.
Over time, more inspections were carried out by inspectors based in Local Education Authorities
, with HMI focussing on reporting to the Secretary of State on education conditions across the country.
The government of John Major
, concerned about variable local inspection regimes, decided to introduce a national scheme of inspections though a reconstituted HMI, which became known as the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).
Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992
, HMI would supervise the inspection of each state-funded school in the country, and would publish its reports instead of reporting to the Secretary of State.
In September 2001, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England became responsible for registration and inspection of day care and childminding in England. Previously this was done by 150 local authorities, based on their implementation by 1992 of the Daycare Standards provisions of the 1989 Children Act.
In April 2007 the former Office for Standards in Education merged with the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) to provide an inspection service which includes all post-16
government funded education
(but not Higher Education Institutes and Universities which are inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency). At the same time it took on responsibility for the registration and inspection of social care services for children, and the welfare inspection of independent and maintained boarding schools from the Commission for Social Care Inspection
(CSCI).
CBE.
Gilbert was appointed in October 2006. One of her key briefs was oversee the expansion of Ofsted's remit from April 2007 to include the inspection of children's social services, adult learning and aspects of court administration, as this relates to children.
Ofsted directly employs Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), who are appointed by the Queen in Council. there were 443 HMIs, of which 82 were engaged in management, 245 in the inspection of schools and the rest in inspection of other areas for which Ofsted in responsible. All HMIs inspecting schools have teaching experience.
Most school inspections are carried out by Additional Inspectors (AI) employed by external companies known as Regional Inspection Service Providers (RISPs).
there were 1,948 AIs, of whom 1,567 inspect schools. Almost all of these have teaching experience, except for a few retained from the previous regime in which each inspection team included a lay inspector.
An HMI accompanies an AI on 6–7% of inspections, including 75% of those of secondary schools.
Reports produced by RISPs must be checked and signed off by HMI, sometimes with amendments, before publication. New Additional Inspectors must be monitored and signed off by HMI before working independently.
The number of RISPs contracted to conduct school inspections was reduced in 2009 from five to three:
Prior to 2005, each school was inspected for a week every six years, with two months notice to prepare for an inspection.
This regime was criticised by teachers and school heads as greatly disruptive of the operation of the school, and by others as enabling schools to present an unrealistic picture of themselves that did not truly reflect the quality of teaching and learning in the school.
The SEF serves as the main document when planning the inspection, and is crucial in evaluating the quality of leadership and management and the school's capacity to improve.
After an inspection of a school, Ofsted publishes a report on the school on its website.
In addition to written comments on a number of areas, schools are assessed on each area and overall on a 4-point scale: 1 (Outstanding), 2 (Good), 3 (Satisfactory) and 4 (Inadequate). Schools rated Outstanding or Good might not be inspected again for five years, while schools judged less favourably are inspected more frequently, and may receive little or no notice of inspection visits.
Figures published in March 2010, show that revised inspection criteria, which were introduced in September 2009, have resulted in a reduction from 19% to 9% in the number of schools judged to be outstanding, and an increase from 4% to 10% in the number of schools judged to be inadequate.
and Ofsted are preparing the new framework after piloting a series of inspections across the country.
if it is judged as 'inadequate' (Grade 4) in one or more areas and if the inspectors have decided it does not have the capacity to improve without additional help. Schools placed into special measures receive intensive support from local authorities, additional funding and resourcing, and frequent reappraisal from Ofsted until the school is no longer deemed to be failing. Furthermore, the senior managers and teaching staff can be dismissed and the governing body may be replaced by an appointed Interim Executive Board (IEB). Schools which are failing but where inspectors consider there is capacity to improve are given a Notice to Improve (NtI).
. Ofsted's submission to the review indicated a wish to take inspections further and recommended that parents be subject to Criminal Records Bureau
(CRB) checks before being allowed to home educate their own children.
, in overlooking alleged inadequacies in Haringey Council's child care provision in the case of Baby P
, a child murdered by his parents and their lodger.
MPs criticised Ofsted for issuing a favourable report on Haringey Children's Services three months after the death, and for their policy of destroying all source materials on inspections of children's services after three months, which made it impossible to identify the mistakes made. According to Ofsted, three children died in England and Wales from abuse every week between April 2007 and August 2008. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children gives a figure of 1 to 2 per week.
The committee also highlighted their concern about "the complex set of objectives and sectors that Ofsted now spans and its capacity to fulfil its core mission". Other criticism has come from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) which said "Ofsted is over-reliant on number crunching, using test data which are fundamentally unsound" and added that the organisation was "ripe for overhaul".
, a BBC television drama
featuring actor/comedian Lenny Henry
, gave an insight into a fictional portrayal of teachers dealing with a school in Special Measures.
OFSTED! The Musical was launched in 2004 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The piece enjoyed a total sell-out run at Venue 45 and won the Writers' Guild Award for Drama 2004 and the List Magazine Award. The musical was later broadcast on Teachers TV
as part of their launch night schedule.
Non-ministerial government department
A non-ministerial government department is a department or ministry of a government that is not headed by a Government Minister or Government Secretary, and answers directly to a legislature ....
of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England (HMCI).
HMCI and Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) are appointed by Order in Council and are thus office holders under the Crown.
Though the inspectorate has existed since the mid-19th century, the office was reorganised under the Education (Schools) Act 1992
Education (Schools) Act 1992
The 1992 Education Act set up a system of school inspections by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills . The reports written by independent inspection teams and published by Ofsted are made public and the inspections are carried out according to a National Framework...
, and is explicitly named in the Education and Inspections Act 2006
Education and Inspections Act 2006
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. According to the government the Act "is intended to represent a major step forward in the Government’s aim of ensuring that all children in all schools get the education they need to enable them to fulfil...
.
The services Ofsted inspects or regulates include: local services, childminding, child day care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
, children’s centres, children’s social care, Cafcass, state schools, independent schools and teacher training providers, colleges and learning and skills providers in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It also monitors the work of the Independent Schools Inspectorate
Independent Schools Inspectorate
The Independent Schools Inspectorate is an organisation responsible for the inspection of independent schools in England which are affiliated to the Independent Schools Council . The Inspectorate is a separate company, owned by the Independent Schools Council and has its work monitored by the...
.
HMI are empowered and required to provide independent advice to the United Kingdom government and parliament on matters of policy and to publish an annual report to parliament on the quality of educational provision in England
Education in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
.
The Education and Training Inspectorate in Northern Ireland, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
in Scotland, and Estyn
Estyn
Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning "to extend". Its mission is to achieve excellence for all in learning in Wales by providing an independent, high quality inspection and advice service to the Welsh Assembly Government and...
in Wales perform similar functions within their education systems.
Ofsted's head office is in Kingsway
Kingsway (London)
Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House. It was built in the 1900s...
, Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
in central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
In 1833, the government introduced an annual grant to the National Society and the British and Foreign School SocietyBritish and Foreign School Society
The British and Foreign School Society offers charitable aid to educational projects in the UK and around the world by funding schools, other charities and educational bodies...
, which respectively provided Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and non-denominational elementary schools for poor children.
To monitor the effectiveness of the grant, two inspectors of schools were appointed in 1837, Seymour Tremenheere and the Revd John Allen.
Dr J.P. Kay-Shuttleworth, then secretary of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
education committee, ensured that the inspectors were appointed by Order in Council to guard their independence.
The grant and inspection system were extended in 1847 to Roman Catholic elementary schools established by the Catholic Poor School Committee.
Inspectors were organised on denominational lines, with the churches having a say in the choice of inspectors, until 1876, when inspectors were re-organised by area.
After the Education Act 1902
Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
, inspections were expanded to state-funded secondary schools along similar lines.
Over time, more inspections were carried out by inspectors based in Local Education Authorities
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, with HMI focussing on reporting to the Secretary of State on education conditions across the country.
The government of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, concerned about variable local inspection regimes, decided to introduce a national scheme of inspections though a reconstituted HMI, which became known as the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).
Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992
Education (Schools) Act 1992
The 1992 Education Act set up a system of school inspections by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills . The reports written by independent inspection teams and published by Ofsted are made public and the inspections are carried out according to a National Framework...
, HMI would supervise the inspection of each state-funded school in the country, and would publish its reports instead of reporting to the Secretary of State.
In September 2001, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England became responsible for registration and inspection of day care and childminding in England. Previously this was done by 150 local authorities, based on their implementation by 1992 of the Daycare Standards provisions of the 1989 Children Act.
In April 2007 the former Office for Standards in Education merged with the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) to provide an inspection service which includes all post-16
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
government funded education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
(but not Higher Education Institutes and Universities which are inspected by the Quality Assurance Agency). At the same time it took on responsibility for the registration and inspection of social care services for children, and the welfare inspection of independent and maintained boarding schools from the Commission for Social Care Inspection
Commission for Social Care Inspection
The Commission for Social Care Inspection was a non-departmental public body and the single, independent inspectorate for social care in England. Its sponsor department was the Department of Health of the United Kingdom...
(CSCI).
Inspectors
The acting HM Chief Inspector is Miriam Rosen, who was appointed in July 2011 and will remain in the role until a permanent replacement can be found for her outgoing predecessor, Christine GilbertChristine Gilbert
Christine Gilbert CBE was the Head of Ofsted also known as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills between October 2006 and 30 June 2011.-Early life:...
CBE.
Gilbert was appointed in October 2006. One of her key briefs was oversee the expansion of Ofsted's remit from April 2007 to include the inspection of children's social services, adult learning and aspects of court administration, as this relates to children.
Ofsted directly employs Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), who are appointed by the Queen in Council. there were 443 HMIs, of which 82 were engaged in management, 245 in the inspection of schools and the rest in inspection of other areas for which Ofsted in responsible. All HMIs inspecting schools have teaching experience.
Most school inspections are carried out by Additional Inspectors (AI) employed by external companies known as Regional Inspection Service Providers (RISPs).
there were 1,948 AIs, of whom 1,567 inspect schools. Almost all of these have teaching experience, except for a few retained from the previous regime in which each inspection team included a lay inspector.
An HMI accompanies an AI on 6–7% of inspections, including 75% of those of secondary schools.
Reports produced by RISPs must be checked and signed off by HMI, sometimes with amendments, before publication. New Additional Inspectors must be monitored and signed off by HMI before working independently.
The number of RISPs contracted to conduct school inspections was reduced in 2009 from five to three:
- CfBT Education TrustCfBT Education TrustCfBT Education Trust is a large educational charity in the United Kingdom, based in Reading.-History:It was founded in 1968 by Tony Abrahams as a support service for freelance teachers working abroad...
, covering the North of England - Serco Education and Children's ServicesSerco GroupSerco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, covering the English Midlands - Tribal GroupTribal GroupTribal Group plc is a business services company based in London in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index.Tribal provides services to the public sector, primarily within the UK....
, covering the South of England
School inspections
The Office carries out regular inspections of each school in England, resulting in a published evaluation of the effectiveness of the school. An adverse report may include a recommendation for further intervention in the running of the school.System of inspection before 2005
Critics of the system of inspection claim that the short amount of time in which HMI get to see the school does not accurately represent the day-to-day activities and can give a biased view.Prior to 2005, each school was inspected for a week every six years, with two months notice to prepare for an inspection.
This regime was criticised by teachers and school heads as greatly disruptive of the operation of the school, and by others as enabling schools to present an unrealistic picture of themselves that did not truly reflect the quality of teaching and learning in the school.
Current system of inspection
In September 2005 a new system of short notice inspections came into being. Under this system the senior leadership of each school are strongly encouraged to complete a Self Evaluation Form (SEF) on a continual basis, which requires them to be aware of strengths and areas for development. Inspections are generally two or three day visits every three years, with two days notice. They focus on the "central nervous system" of the school – examining how well the school is managed, and what processes are in place to ensure standards of teaching and learning improve; the school leadership and management are expected to be aware of everything in the SEF.The SEF serves as the main document when planning the inspection, and is crucial in evaluating the quality of leadership and management and the school's capacity to improve.
After an inspection of a school, Ofsted publishes a report on the school on its website.
In addition to written comments on a number of areas, schools are assessed on each area and overall on a 4-point scale: 1 (Outstanding), 2 (Good), 3 (Satisfactory) and 4 (Inadequate). Schools rated Outstanding or Good might not be inspected again for five years, while schools judged less favourably are inspected more frequently, and may receive little or no notice of inspection visits.
Figures published in March 2010, show that revised inspection criteria, which were introduced in September 2009, have resulted in a reduction from 19% to 9% in the number of schools judged to be outstanding, and an increase from 4% to 10% in the number of schools judged to be inadequate.
New system of inspection
The framework for section 5 inspections of academies and maintained schools will change from January 2012. Public consultation has been undertaken,and Ofsted are preparing the new framework after piloting a series of inspections across the country.
Special measures
Sometimes a school is placed into special measuresSpecial measures
Special measures is a status applied by Ofsted and Estyn, the schools inspection agencies, to schools in England and Wales, respectively, when it considers that they fail to supply an acceptable level of education and appear to lack the leadership capacity necessary to secure improvements...
if it is judged as 'inadequate' (Grade 4) in one or more areas and if the inspectors have decided it does not have the capacity to improve without additional help. Schools placed into special measures receive intensive support from local authorities, additional funding and resourcing, and frequent reappraisal from Ofsted until the school is no longer deemed to be failing. Furthermore, the senior managers and teaching staff can be dismissed and the governing body may be replaced by an appointed Interim Executive Board (IEB). Schools which are failing but where inspectors consider there is capacity to improve are given a Notice to Improve (NtI).
Home educator inspections
Although home education is outside Ofsted's remit, they are actively involved in shaping policy for the inspection and regulation of home educators through support of the recommendations of the Badman ReviewBadman Review
The Badman Review, also known as the Review into Elective Home Education in England, was conducted by Graham Badman the former Director of Children's Services at Kent County Council....
. Ofsted's submission to the review indicated a wish to take inspections further and recommended that parents be subject to Criminal Records Bureau
Criminal Records Bureau
The Criminal Records Bureau , is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, which provides wider access to criminal record information through its Disclosure service for England and Wales...
(CRB) checks before being allowed to home educate their own children.
Child protection
Ofsted also oversees Child Protection by English Local Authorities. In December 2008, Christine Gilbert revealed that Ofsted had been gullible: good ratings could be given, based purely on data submitted directly by local authority providers of care services, that could easily be concealing dangerously flawed practices. This was considered a factor, by The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, in overlooking alleged inadequacies in Haringey Council's child care provision in the case of Baby P
Death of Baby P
Peter Connelly was an English 17-month old boy who died in London after suffering more than 50 injuries over an eight-month period, during which he was repeatedly seen by Haringey Children's services and NHS health professionals...
, a child murdered by his parents and their lodger.
MPs criticised Ofsted for issuing a favourable report on Haringey Children's Services three months after the death, and for their policy of destroying all source materials on inspections of children's services after three months, which made it impossible to identify the mistakes made. According to Ofsted, three children died in England and Wales from abuse every week between April 2007 and August 2008. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children gives a figure of 1 to 2 per week.
Criticisms
Ofted has been criticised as 'not fit for purpose' by the House of Commons Education Select Committee.The committee also highlighted their concern about "the complex set of objectives and sectors that Ofsted now spans and its capacity to fulfil its core mission". Other criticism has come from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) which said "Ofsted is over-reliant on number crunching, using test data which are fundamentally unsound" and added that the organisation was "ripe for overhaul".
In popular culture
Hope And GloryHope and Glory (TV series)
Hope and Glory is a BBC television drama about a comprehensive school struggling with financial, staffing and disciplinary problems, and faced with closure...
, a BBC television drama
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
featuring actor/comedian Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
, gave an insight into a fictional portrayal of teachers dealing with a school in Special Measures.
OFSTED! The Musical was launched in 2004 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The piece enjoyed a total sell-out run at Venue 45 and won the Writers' Guild Award for Drama 2004 and the List Magazine Award. The musical was later broadcast on Teachers TV
Teachers TV
Teachers TV was a website and former free-to-air Distance education television channel which provided video and support materials for those who work in education in the UK, including teachers, school leaders, governors, teacher trainers, student teachers and support staff.Its aims included raising...
as part of their launch night schedule.
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England (sometimes abbreviated to HMCI) is the head of Ofsted, though the title was also used within Ofsted's predecessors.List of HMCIs
- Baron Sutherland of Houndwood, 1992–1994
- Sir Chris WoodheadChris WoodheadSir Christopher Anthony Woodhead was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England from 1994 until 2000 and is one of the most controversial figures in debates on the direction of English education policy...
, 1994–2000 - Sir Mike TomlinsonMike TomlinsonSir Michael John Tomlinson CBE is the chair of the Working Group for 14–19 Reform which has been commissioned by the British Government to look into reform of the syllabus and qualifications structure for 14–19 year-olds in the English education system.-Early life:He passed the eleven plus...
, 2000–2002 - Sir David Bell, 2002–2006
- Maurice Smith, January 2006–October 2006 (acting)
- Christine GilbertChristine GilbertChristine Gilbert CBE was the Head of Ofsted also known as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills between October 2006 and 30 June 2011.-Early life:...
, 2006–2011 - Miriam Rosen, July 2011–December 2011 (acting)
- Sir Michael WilshawMichael WilshawSir Michael Wilshaw is a former teacher and headmaster who was announced as the next Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England and head of Ofsted in October 2011. He will take up this post in January 2012....
, January 2012 onwards (pending approval)