Giving less than one term’s notice of plans for a new system of Ofsted inspections will place “wholly unacceptable pressure” on schools and teachers, unions warned the education secretary today.
In a letter to Bridget Phillipson, seen by Tes, education unions repeat their calls to delay the introduction of school inspection report cards to the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year “at the earliest”.
Earlier this month Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver confirmed that the watchdog’s full response to its consultation on the new inspection framework will now be released in September rather than summer, as previously pledged.
The watchdog previously said, in its consultation, that there would be a notice period equivalent to “one term between the publication of our post-consultation response and inspection materials and the start of education inspections”.
This time frame would ensure that “providers and inspectors feel well prepared for the new inspections”, Ofsted said at the time.
Ofsted’s final inspection plans delayed
However, the new timescale “would create wholly unacceptable pressures on schools and their staff”, the unions tell Ms Phillipson in their letter.
As exclusively revealed by Tes earlier this month, the education secretary has also expressed concerns about Ofsted’s delay, calling it “disappointing” in a letter to Sir Martyn this month.
She emphasised that the chief inspector should deliver to “expected timescales” and reminded him of his “absolute commitment” to introduce the revised inspection framework in November.
The unions’ letter is signed by Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union; Matt Wrack, acting general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union; Pepe Di’lasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders; and Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union.
While the unions note that the number of schools subject to a new-style inspection with less than one term’s notice would be “relatively small”, they are concerned that many schools may expect an inspection and be “impacted adversely” by the short notice period.
“Given widespread concern about the impact of inspection on workforce wellbeing and workload, proceeding with inspection reform on this basis would be entirely unjustifiable,” the letter says.
The unions add that inspectors would have “far less time than originally anticipated to familiarise themselves with reformed inspection arrangements and the expectations it would place on them”.
Pressure to postpone new inspections
The unions also question how Ofsted could introduce changes to the inspection framework in the time period given if “significant revisions” to its original proposals are required.
They repeat their calls to delay the new inspections to the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year “at the earliest” to ensure that the “commitments given by the chief inspector can be met”.
The letter also urges the education secretary to ensure that Inspecting Education Together (IET) member organisations are “fully involved in the analysis of the outcomes of Ofsted’s consultation” and in the “development of any revisions to these proposals”.
IET is a joint agreement between unions, employer representative organisations and the Department for Education to co-create the design and implementation of education policy.
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