Sean Harford, National Director, Education, on how Ofsted will evaluate and review multi-academy trusts.
Sean Harford, National Director, Education on first ever prosecution for running an unregistered school.
It’s not particularly highbrow, but when talking about Ofsted’s impact on the education sector, I tend to rely on a Spider-Man quote from Peter Parker’s uncle: "With great power, comes great responsibility."
New inspection reports site makes it easier to find the report of your choice.
Nick Whittaker, HMI, Specialist Adviser, SEND, on inspecting pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, how they're progressing and the support they receive.
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.
Ofsted has a new website for inspection reports that's using up-to-date technology. It's simpler to use. The design and content is clearer and it's a better user-experience.
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.
Sean Harford, HMI, National Director, Education, puts assessment into perspective.