Sean Harford became National Director, Education in September 2015. Sean was appointed Her Majesty’s Inspector in 2003. Since joining Ofsted he has worked in school improvement, school inspection policy and organisational restructuring. His previous post in Ofsted was Regional Director (South).
Before joining Ofsted, Sean was a teacher and a successful senior leader in a secondary school in the East of England, as well as associate adviser for a local authority.
Follow Sean on Twitter @HarfordSean
Sean Harford, Ofsted's National Director for Education, discusses the work of our subject curriculum groups.
...last few months talking to leadership teams around the country about the development of the new framework – and listening to what they have to say. We’ve spoken to many,...
...steps to enhance inspectors’ knowledge of MAT structures and operations, and to improve the quality of reporting. We have brought on board Ofsted Inspectors, who are MAT leaders, to act...
...home educated, and that the ‘school’ is merely providing some top-up instruction or classes. We recently responded to DfE’s consultation on home education to support the creation of a register...
Sean Harford, National Director, Education on the findings of Ofsted's report, 'Growing up neglected'.
Sean Harford, Ofsted's National Director, Education, on the new tool that collects evidence electronically and the feedback gathered from the pilot inspections where it was tested.
...moved on considerably in schools across the country in the last decade and a half since I started inspecting. While in the early 2000s chair-chucking in schools in special measures...
...training or vocational education should all be available. For young people who have special educational needs or disabilities, another very important element should be included: preparation for independence, or supported...
There's been a lot of talk recently in the media about algorithms. Facebook has come under scrutiny for their use of algorithms to target users with specific adverts or content. Uber and Deliveroo are using them to support their business model. Public bodies such as HMRC and the Home Office are using algorithmic analysis to look at data and make decisions. I wrote recently about how we’re using them to risk assess schools to help us decide when in the inspection cycle to inspect them.
Inspection is above all about human judgement. Therefore, the quality of Ofsted’s work and our value as a force for improvement depend absolutely on the knowledge and expertise of our inspectors.