In defence of Ofsted’s Hamid Patel

We stand at a critical juncture. Over the past decade, England has ascended the global education rankings with remarkable momentum. In mathematics, we have surged from 21st to 7th in the Pisa rankings. Our performance in reading on the Pirls scale now positions us as a leader in the Western world.

Just last week, a delegation of 24 Flemish ministers and journalists visited Michaela Community School, where I am headteacher, and other high-performing schools, eager to glean insights from England’s educational success. Yet, paradoxically, our own Education Secretary remains indifferent to these achievements. Bridget Phillipson did not set foot last year in any of the country’s top 87 Progress 8 schools that have demonstrated an exceptional +1 improvement. This score measures how much a pupil improves between the end of primary school and the end of secondary school. So why didn’t Phillipson want to learn from their example?

Instead, she is quietly advancing a Bill through parliament that threatens to unravel a decade’s worth of progress.