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A @tes story thread on 2021's latest but probably not last education U-turn. This time it's Ofsted and its now abandoned plan to send inspectors into schools at the height of the Covid crisis. A quick look at how we got here. 1/16. https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-schools-ofsted-u-turn-moves-inspections-online-until-half-term
Ofsted's return to inspection this month had been on the horizon for some time. The original plan was for a return to full graded inspection. But with Covid escalating heads were already warning in October that a full return in Jan was "unthinkable". https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-schools-inspections-exclusive-ofsted-return-january-now-unthinkable 2/16
However this remained Ofsted and the DfE's plan until the start of last month when it was announced that full inspections would not happen until the summer term but that Ofsted would carry out monitoring inspections of schools in the new year. 3/16 https://www.tes.com/news/covid-ofsteds-full-return-delayed-until-summer-term
The question which then arose is how can Ofsted inspect in a pandemic? Its programme of Autumn visits had consisted of one inspector speaking mainly to school leaders. And Ofsted has moved these online during the November lockdown. https://www.tes.com/news/ofsted-moves-controversial-school-visits-online 4/16
The @NEUnion joint general secretary Mary Bousted had said at the start of last month that the idea of Ofsted "bursting bubbles" by going into classrooms to do its monitoring inspections was unacceptable. 5/16 https://www.tes.com/news/unacceptable-go-back-classrooms-ofsted-warned
Ofsted declined to say whether it was planning to send inspectors into classrooms but did say that after taking Public Health England advice it would be able to carry out most inspection activity in the new year. 6/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-ofsted-precautions-mean-january-inspections-are-safe
But a lot can change in a month. By the time January 2021 arrived the situation with Covid was ever more dire and with term just a day old Boris Johnson had placed the country back in a national lockdown. Schools would move online for most pupils. 7/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-all-schools-moving-online-until-half-term-says-boris-johnson
So what would the national lockdown mean for Ofsted's plans to return? During that last full lockdown in March 2020 the inspectorate put routine inspection on hold for the rest of the year. 8/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-ofsted-puts-school-inspections-hold
But despite the new lockdown and the rising Covid cases Ofsted's plans were in tact. Monitoring inspections would resume as planned from January 18. At this point @ASCL_UK asked for assurances that Ofsted did not intend to actually go into schools. 9/16 https://d8admin.tes.com/news/coronavirus-ofsted-must-rule-out-lockdown-school-visits-say-heads
But as @tes revealed last week that was indeed the plan. Ofsted inspectors would be going into schools in a little over a week, despite the Covid situation. 10/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-exclusive-ofsted-will-go-schools-during-lockdown
An Ofsted spokesperson said: "Our inspections of schools will require some work on site in order to provide robust assurance to parents and others – including about the pupils who are still attending schools." Inspectors would be adhering to social distancing. 11/16
Ofsted's return had been questioned by teachers' and heads' unions but this week came the most serious criticism yet - from Ofsted's own inspectors. HMI in the FDA union voted overwhelmingly to call on Amanda Spielman to halt inspection visits. 12/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-inspectors-fight-ofsted-plan-send-them-schools
Ofsted's HMI said it was "simply unacceptable" for site visits to go ahead. “As well as clear risks to health of HMI staff undertaking the visits...moving from site to site, there are clear risks posed to the health of students & school staff." 13/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-inspectors-fight-ofsted-plan-send-them-schools
Which brings us to today's U-turn. Ofsted said that although it was satisfied its " planned on-site activity would be safe and appropriate" the govt's message that people should behave as if they have the virus has meant a change of approach. 14/16
Ofsted announced that its monitoring inspections will now be carried out remotely until the half term and will now not start until January 25. 15/16 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-schools-ofsted-u-turn-moves-inspections-online-until-half-term
It is striking how the U-turns we have seen on exams, schools opening and now Ofsted inspections follow the same pattern: Policymakers trying to hold onto a version of normality for as long as possible before accepting late in the day that Covid has made it impossible. 16/16.
