Pragmatic Reform: Bloggers lead the way to reform Ofsted

Post by **debbie** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 7:01 pm

Thanks to Geraldine Carter for alerting me to this excellent summarising list via 'Pragmatic Reform' of leading bloggers who have painstakingly scrutinised the effects of Ofsted inspection and reporting:

http://pragmaticreform.wordpress.com/20 ... rm-ofsted/

Bloggers lead the way to reform Ofsted

At its best, social media can influence education policy – and spearhead reform. It is teacher bloggers who have led the campaign to reform Ofsted’s inspection regime.

Over the last year, we have seen massive, protracted and unrelenting pressure from teachers online to change how inspections work.

And it’s working.

Ofsted have agreed to stop grading lesson observations in all inspections from September. Their handbook now explicitly states that inspectors do not expect to see any records of graded lesson observations from schools.

Here is a collection of hundreds of blogs from over 40 teachers, school leaders and researchers in the education blogosphere who are putting pressure on OFSTED to accelerate reform.

But I've added a comment as I have had some very concerning experiences with Ofsted and the apparent adherence to official policies and procedures. I have faced stonewalling, obfuscation and absolutely no meaningful accountability!

Debbie Hepplewhite says:
December 19, 2014 at 4:25 pm

At the researchED event in August 2014 I made some observations at the end of Andrew Old’s interview of HMIs Michael Cladingbowl and Sean Harford regarding the corrupt system of Ofsted inspectors ALSO being independent advisors bought in by schools. I also commented about the impossibility of being able to hold Ofsted to account through the Ofsted complaints system. The interview and my comments were filmed. My comments raised significant applause in the crowded room and yet this piece of the event was ‘cut’. Why was this?

And what a shame.

Subsequent to this event, I have continued to pursue a complaint against Ofsted to no avail and have personal evidence to demonstrate the impossibility of being able to hold Ofsted to account.

I note that the NAHT has also made comments about it becoming increasingly difficult to hold Ofsted to account.

The teaching profession as a whole recognises the importance of accountability but it is clear that the current Ofsted system is negative, counter-productive and has no fit mechanism to challenge judgements made by Ofsted.