A 2021 YouGov survey found that Ofsted judgements and reports were the third and fourth highest factors for parents when choosing an education provider for their children.
Deputy headteacher Kate Roberts, 53, at Anston Greenlands Primary School in Sheffield commented “Ofsted only see a snapshot of a school and they are highly subjective.
“Some schools can be left for as long as 12 years between inspections.”
Her husband Grey Roberts, 52, teacher at Pennine View Special School in , continued “Ofsted judgements are inaccurate and harmful to schools in challenging circumstances.
“They actually tell parents very little about the school as they are only ever based on limited data gained through a very short visit by inspectors who are often not expert in the type of school they are inspecting.”
YouGov further found that between 2020 and 2024 the public perception of how good UK education is decreased. As of January 2024, 35% of people in Great Britain believed the system to be good, whilst 38% thought it was bad.
Ofsted reports have great impacts on reputations of schools and the education that takes place within them.
Mr Roberts said, “The current buzz-phrase in Ofsted is for pupils to “know more and remember more”, rather than being adaptable, resilient problem solvers. As a SEND teacher, I am fighting constantly for the curriculum to reflect pupils’ needs against a backdrop of the looming menace of Ofsted.”
Further information on the criticism of Ofsted can be found on the National Education Union’s website: https://neu.org.uk/campaigns/replace-ofsted
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