"Alternative Big Listen" finds Ofsted is not fit for purpose

A survey, named the "Alternative Big Listen", which examines the role of Ofsted, shows that nine out of 10 respondent believe the inspection body is no longer fit for purpose.

The survey was established as a rival to the formal Ofsted consultation by two former government inspectors - Professor Colin Richards and Frank Norris MBE - who wanted to ask questions that were not in Ofsted's survey.

Ninety-one per cent of respondents said that simplistic one or two word judgments should not be used to characterise the overall effectiveness of a school, and eighty-nine per cent said that inspectors do not sufficiently consider the context of a school’s local area in the judgements they make.

Prof Colin Richards said: “The findings from the ABL reveal Ofsted has lost very significant levels of trust and confidence from the schools’ sector and suggest that fundamental, not piece-meal, change, is required to craft an inspection system fit for purpose in the second quarter of the twenty-first century. This is urgent given the parlous state of relations, indicated by the ABL survey, between Ofsted and schools.

“As an inspectorate, Ofsted relies heavily on the engagement and goodwill of those it inspects. The judgements made by Ofsted’s inspectors can have lasting positive and negative impacts on the institutions, services and individuals it evaluates. Much of this work is crucially important and tellingly very few of the survey’s respondents argue that school inspection itself should be scrapped.

Frank Norris MBE said: “The ABL offers a damning critique of Ofsted and clearly demonstrates the amount of work the inspectorate needs to do in order to re-establish confidence in the process. Any pollster would say that to find nine out of ten respondents agreeing on a particular subject is unusual so it is significant that on all the key fundamental issues the ABL, found 90 per cent of participants concur.

“Many want to see radical improvements to ensure inspection is more collaborative and responsive to the context in which schools work. They demand from Ofsted more openness and willingness to accept weaknesses and even failings; they feel that a heavy dose of humility is required. Many believe Ofsted has lost its way and is no longer a reliable source of information on the effectiveness of the schools it inspects. It is encouraging that the new Government is committed to reform of the inspectorate. These findings indicate they are right to do so.”