Reforming Ofsted won’t fix Britain’s problem schools

The proportion of children staying away from school may be alarming – one in five –  but the proportion of parents – almost one in three – who do not see school as a necessary part of their child’s daily schedule is even more so. Keir Starmer’s government understood that the connection between parents and schools needed fixing – and settled on Ofsted as part of the solution.

For many, however, Ofsted was part of the problem. The suicide of Ruth Perry, a much-loved headteacher, had highlighted the pressure that school inspections placed on the teaching profession. The majority of teachers viewed the regulator negatively. Meanwhile, fewer than 4 in 10 parents felt short-changed by Ofsted’s one-word verdicts (‘Outstanding’, ‘Inadequate’) delivered after their two-day inspections.  

On becoming Secretary of State for Education last year, Bridget Phillipson pledged to reform Ofsted. She unveiled