This article is personal and rather anecdotal as it is an attempt to sum up my experience of 30 years of Ofsted inspections. The key questions remain what they always were. How do you deal with the sometimes conflicting requirements of support and accountability, objectivity and impartiality, styles of inspection, reporting and grading? Perhaps…

Ofsted has frequently defended the judgements made during inspections by claiming that inspection ratings are reliable, as shown by the results from the collection of studies the inspectorate has conducted. I outline the inspectorate's view of reliability and problematise the studies that it has carried out, noting that these provide insufficient…

This paper argues that Ofsted's initial approach to the use of criteria encouraged a misguided view of how inspection judgements should be made and, at worst, militated against the professional discussion between inspectors and schools that should always have been at the heart of the process.

This paper considers how effectively inspection takes account of the 'lived experience' of young people in school and in their leisure time, and identifies some weaknesses in both data gathering and reporting. It asserts that Ofsted should be more forthright in its judgments of the curriculum range now offered in schools, and regrets its lack of…

In this article I consider changes in the remit and interpretation of the role of Ofsted since its inception in 1992, with particular reference to early years inspections.

This case study of one primary school's inspection journey over 20 years highlights serious concerns about Ofsted's education inspection framework and modus operandi in relation to safeguarding. Ofsted's proposed changes to inspection practice following school inspections are also discussed.

Test-based accountability offers schools limited guidance on informing sustained reforms, whereas on-site school evaluations provide broader and more nuanced evidence. In order to transform inspection feedback into long-term reforms, school leaders' attitudes towards these evaluations are critical. Relying on organizational change theory, this…

In a previous article in "FORUM," Ofsted's criteria for 'outstanding grades' were described as 'outstanding nonsense'. In the first part of this short two-part article, a similarly sceptical view is taken in regard to one important practice in the current Ofsted framework -- interviewing children to see how much they remember of the…

While never a loved organisation, Ofsted's reputation has perhaps never been so low. Amid a myriad of calls for reform or abolition, former HMI Adrian Lyons reflects on his 20 years of inspection with over 16 years employed by Ofsted as an HMI. He concludes that one of the biggest problems with Ofsted is its frequent change in policy, activity and…

Children's early education experiences are rarely high quality when changes to policy and practice are knee jerk and made in response to politicised anger and frustration. Changes to education inspection systems deliver when they are grounded in evidence-informed practice. What matters is that the inspection process supports practitioners in…

In England and Wales, diocesan inspectors are charged with assessing the overall quality of Catholic education provided by Catholic schools. As part of this assessment, inspectors are required to give an account of the liturgical life of the school. Often the reports which result from these inspections refer to the degree of students' "active…

Abstract This article provides an overview of the importance of and the steps to undertaking a classroom library diversity audit. It begins by situating the importance of the classroom library in children's development because literature can reflect and expand worldviews. Next, statistics of U.S. children's literature publishing and U.S. classroom…

This article proposes reform of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). It considers the purpose of inspection in English schools and describes the previous system of inspection based on Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI). The question of how effective Ofsted is -- in comparison to similar countries -- is then addressed. The…

Headship (School Principal) is a challenging role within a complex and ever-changing policy climate. This article explores the factors which influence headteacher resilience and their mental health. Existing research focuses on teacher resilience but there is a paucity of literature exploring the factors which influence headteacher resilience.…

This article traces how some features of school inspection in England and Wales have changed since Her Majesty's Inspectorate was first established in 1839. The article describes how the inspectorate began its work; how, later on, a series of reviews and changes to legislation affected the exercise of its accountability and advisory functions; how…