Ofsted 'visits' are an added pressure for schools, says ASCL

School leaders union ASCL has said it does not support Ofsted’s school visits this autumn, saying they would put too much pressure on schools.

Ofsted announced earlier this year its inspectors would be making ‘visits’ to schools to find out how they are operating during the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. Ofsted has stressed they are not inspections with a resulting grade, but a letter based on discussions with the school.

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders said: “We don’t support Ofsted’s approach to visiting schools in the autumn term. We can see the value in Ofsted visiting a sample of schools to gain a general picture of the response to the educational challenges caused by the Covid pandemic. 

“However, Ofsted appears to be fixated on the idea of publishing letters about each of the schools it visits. Even though these letters will not give a graded judgement, this will make visits seem like inspection by another name. It is frustrating that Ofsted in one breath agrees with the need to suspend inspections while schools reintegrate children and manage safety measures, and then in the next breath decides on an approach which contradicts that objective. 

“We doubt that Ofsted visits in the autumn term are a priority for parents who will be more concerned about their school being able to concentrate on the practicalities of safety measures and catch-up support. These practicalities represent a huge logistical challenge and the added pressure of an Ofsted visit in the way that is planned isn’t helpful in this context.

“We have repeatedly warned Ofsted about the perception it will create by publishing letters, and urged it to give schools at least one term’s grace to cope with an unprecedented set of challenges, but it seems that it simply cannot help itself. 

“We are not convinced either about Ofsted’s determination to resume routine inspections in January 2021. This plan may quickly unravel in the event of local lockdowns over the next few weeks and months. 

“We note that this date will be kept under review and we urge the inspectorate to be prepared to change its plans.”

A spokesperson for Ofsted said unions have been “involved at every stage as we developed our plans for the autumn visits, including the letters. We have been clear throughout that the visits are not judgemental and that they require no preparation.

“We have also been clear that the letters for parents would be a simple summary of what school leaders told us – nothing more and nothing less. Our national summaries will contain much more information and insight.

“Suggesting that we should not publish any information at all for parents after a visit to their child’s school is not acceptable. We would urge schools to read our guidance – you do not need to prepare for visits and you do not need to be concerned about letters.”