No routine Ofsted inspections for top schools

Top-performing schools will no longer have routine Ofsted inspections, Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced today.

Top-performing schools will no longer have routine Ofsted inspections, Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced.
Schools ranked ‘outstanding’ will only be inspected if there are warning signs of bad performance or if parents highlight concerns.
Currently they are inspected every five years, but now Ofsted will turn its attention to failing schools and not regularly monitor the 2,000 primary, 600 secondary and 300 special schools rated ‘outstanding’.
Mr Gove said: ”Outstanding schools will be freed from inspection, (but) if there are certain indicators that flash ‘danger’ then it will be triggered and there is always the parental request for an inspection if there are problems as well.”
He said Ofsted would now have more time to carry out ‘no notice’ inspections and would be able to transfer its attention more to failing schools.
”Of course, things can change, heads and leadership teams can change, there can be changes of intake, changes of staff, changes of funding,” he said. ”But there are a number of ways in which lights can flash and we can see what’s happening.”
The Education and Children’s Bill is due to be published in the autumn and will include new plans for Ofsted and inspections.
Earlier this week, Mr Gove announced all ‘outstanding’ schools would be allowed to seek academy status and move outside of local authority control. Concerns have been expressed that this might lead to a two-tier system with successful schools attracting extra funding, widening the gap with failing schools.