Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, has called on the Government to clarify how SEND inclusion will be measured in the new Ofsted inspections.
Yesterday, the Education Secretary announced changes to Ofsted inspections, with a new report card replacing single-word judgements.
The new system grades schools, nurseries, and colleges in eight individual areas on a five-step scale, ranging from “exemplary” to “causing concern”, with an evaluation on SEND inclusion included in the inspection for the first time.
However, the announcement drew strong criticism from school leaders, with the general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, saying it risks “replicating the worst aspects of the current system.”
Speaking in the Chamber, Caroline asked the Schools Minister how SEND inclusion will be measured in the new framework and highlighted the confusion she’s heard from head teachers since the announcement was made.
The Minister confirmed Ofsted has set out a new toolkit for schools, which outlines how the new inspections will be judged.
The new focus on SEND inclusion was long expected. During an appearance at the Education Select Committee last month, Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief inspector, claimed SEND is the “biggest issue” affecting schools in England, with the current system offering a “lose-lose situation” of high costs and poor outcomes.
Speaking before the Committee, which Caroline sits on, Sir Oliver went on to say that Ofsted could do more to “direct schools to be more inclusive and reward those” doing the “difficult job.”
SEND provision has been a particular problem in Devon, with only 4.9% of EHCPs currently being delivered within the 20-week target. Following this finding, Caroline asked for a meeting with the Schools Minister to discuss how to speed up the delivery of EHCPs in the county.
Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, said:
“While no one doubted that single-word judgements had to go, the widespread negative reactions from teachers should tell the Government that this new Ofsted system isn’t yet fit for purpose.
“I welcome the introduction of a consultation period, starting from now until April, to iron out the issues teachers have. I hope this will be a genuine consultation, in which Ofsted takes on the many concerns I’ve heard from teachers in South Devon, including the ambiguity over how SEND inclusion will be measured.
“I hope that come April we’ll have seen a course correction here, and the blunt, reductive approach, which appears to have been carried over from the previous system, is gone, and replaced with a new style that appreciates the complexities of school life and the plethora of challenges teachers face today.”
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