Ofsted's a failure

In its response to a recent Department of Educations ‘consultation’ …, the London Radical Education Forum has branded Ofsted as a “failed and discredited institution”.

“Ofsted is still essentially a game rooted in arbitrary and harmful performance indicators. Ofsted gradings fail to accurately reflect the quality of education in our schools, but instead reflect the ability of senior leadership and staff to play the inspection game.  The impact of this has shifted the value systems in schools away from what we as educators, parents and young people see as important.”

“Ofsted inspection regimes have given rise to school cultures of extreme surveillance and performativity at the expense of creating positive teaching and learning environments within schools.  The fear of Ofsted’s judgement has meant it is commonplace for schools to fixate on the appearance of quality, rather than the experience for learners actually being of a quality they deserve.  This has negatively impacted not only on the quality of education, but also on student-teacher relationships and the mental health of both teachers and students.”

“Our message to both Ofsted and the Department for Education is a call for a radical overhaul of the entire process by which educational accountability and support of schools occur.”

To read the full response: click here