Latest news with #HMIs
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Teaching union welcomes ‘long-overdue' Ofsted move to tailor inspections
A school leaders' union has welcomed Ofsted plans to provide more tailored inspections of schools and in further education, describing it as 'long overdue'. Ofsted announced on Thursday that all inspections would be led by current His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs), or someone with recent experience in the role, to provide more in-depth inspection expertise and training. At the same time, contracted Ofsted inspectors – who often work in schools and colleges themselves – will be deployed as team inspectors by having their expertise matched to specific types of provision. The regulator said the changes, which will be introduced in November, would deliver improved consistency and 'more insightful, context-aware inspections that will better serve children, learners and education providers'. It comes after Ofsted held a public consultation on planned reforms to its service, the details of which will be published in September. Inspectors having a lack of expertise or experience in the specific types of provision they inspect was one issue aired during the consultation. The new plans will mean at least one inspector on the team will have previous experience of working in that provision for most inspections. They will not apply to early years inspections, which are usually conducted by individuals rather than teams. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: 'We welcome this sensible, long-overdue move. NAHT has long called for all inspections to be led by experienced HMIs with the right level of experience and we have also highlighted the importance of inspectors having experience of the type of school they inspect. 'It goes without saying that these changes will only be effective if the underlying inspection system is reliable and fit for purpose.' The NAHT was among the unions who previously suggested it would encourage members to quit as Ofsted inspectors unless changes were made to the proposed reforms, including to the five-point grading scale. New report cards for this grading system are also due to be rolled out in November. Mr Whiteman continued: 'The profession has been united opposing the inspectorate's plans to judge schools on even more areas and to now try and spring a revised version of these proposals upon schools with less than a term's notice – with no guarantee these concerns will be addressed. 'We urge Ofsted to work with us to rethink these ill-conceived plans, which have been roundly rejected by the profession, and will ultimately impact the ability of school leaders and teachers to deliver the education children deserve.' Ofsted's chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said: 'We want to make sure our inspections are as consistent as possible, from Cornwall to Northumberland. 'We have already put stronger quality assurance measures in place, and utilising the expertise of our workforce as effectively as we can is another significant step forward. 'All inspection teams will have the right blend of inspection expertise and current sector insight. This will help us better understand the context of the schools and colleges we inspect, to provide a fair and accurate report for parents.'
South Wales Guardian
12-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Garnant man receives royal award after 25 years of service
Mr Alan Jones was recruited by the Home Office and attached to His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, assisting 7 HMIs with their duty's country wide. This came after Mr Jones was a police officer for 33 years, joining Birmingham City Police after he left school and progressing from bikes, firearms and then ending up on the special branch. Mr Jones served the home office for 25 years and was a police officer for 33 years. (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones said: 'It has taken me by surprise. I retired and I knew nothing about it before that medal came through the post. But it goes to the King first who approves the award and then gets sent off. 'This came out of the blue. The people who I used to work said they had never heard of such an award. When you're in the force you usually get a medal after 22 years of service, if you have a record of good conduct. 'It was an interesting job working for the Home Office, making sure he or she got there in one piece. I was sent all over the UK.' The medal was received in the post. (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones was born in Glanaman Hospital on July 9, 1945, and went to Garnant junior school before attending St Michael's School, Bryn, Llanelli. His grandmother Elizabeth Jones lived until she was 102 years old and was cared for by her daughters Hannah and Nancy. The award was an 'Imperial Service Medal.' (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones continued: 'My extended family are in Glanaman. I left when I was 17 years old and I never came back. But I still go there to see my relatives. 'Back then, to join the police force you had to speak Welsh. But I didn't, so I applied to become a police officer in Manchester and Birmingham. Birmingham got back to me first, so I decided to go there and have been there ever since. HM The King gave the royal stamp of approval. (Image: Alan Jones) 'Being a police officer is still a really good job because you are serving the public. There is more pressure nowadays, yet if you can deal with you that, you can deal with anything.'
Sky News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Ruth Perry's sister joins education leaders in call to stop Ofsted reforms
Ruth Perry's sister has joined forces with education leaders to demand a delay to proposed changes to Ofsted's inspections. The 53-year-old headteacher took her own life in January 2023 after her school - Caversham Primary in Reading, Berkshire - was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate by the education watchdog for England. A coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 "contributed" to her death. And the tragedy led to nationwide calls for reform to the country's school inspection system. In an open letter released on the final day of Ofsted's public consultation, a coalition of senior educators, trade union heads, former inspectors and mental health advocates urged Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to pause what they describe as a "rushed" rollout of new inspection measures. Ms Perry 's sister, Professor Julia Waters, is among the signatories, alongside general secretaries of the UK's major teaching unions, former His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs), and leading academics. The letter criticises the proposed reforms as failing to reflect the painful lessons from Ms Perry's death that shone a spotlight on the pressures that school leaders face under the current Ofsted system. "We believe the proposed new system will continue to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of education staff," the letter states, warning of a continued risk of "preventable deaths" if deeper systemic issues are not addressed. The current system was previously criticised for reducing school performance into a single-word judgement. It was described by ministers as creating "low information for parents and high stakes for schools". The one-word judgement is set to be removed. But critics say the proposed replacement offers little real change. 2:40 Report cards and a new grading structure have been suggested. But many argue these measures are only cosmetic and they fail to fix and alleviate the intense pressure schools are under. Among the coalition's demands is the creation of a robust, independent complaints and appeals process. Currently, any complaints procedure is largely absent, leaving schools with little recourse to challenge potentially damaging inspection outcomes. "Trust in the system needs to be restored," the letter reads. "The rushed and closed nature of the consultation has only made that worse." The Department for Education has not yet responded to Sky News' request for comment. The letter follows growing scrutiny from MPs, following the Education Select Committee's inquiry into Ofsted, which was launched in the wake of Ms Perry's death and broader concerns about staff wellbeing in schools. Many in the education sector have pointed to the need for a more compassionate, collaborative, and effective approach to school accountability. The message to the government is clear from these concerned parties: pause, listen, and engage with the evidence before imposing reforms that could risk adding pressure to a system that is already at breaking point.
