A new Code of Conduct for Ofsted

Reflections on the OFSTED Code of Conduct

Due to the concern expressed by the profession and members of the public at the death of Ruth Perry and the inspection of Caversham Primary School in Reading, in September 2023 Ofsted revised their code of conduct OST is not convinced that this is effective or being applied consistently and have devised an alternative code of conduct for school inspection and then compared it. The points below show how OST has improved the OFSTED version

● Actively respect the particular context of the school, accommodating this context in the inspection findings.

● Actively listen to the responses of pupils and staff, using intellectual acumen to probe deeply and sensitively.

● Avoid any behaviour that suggests that the inspection process is a means of ‘tripping schools up’ or ‘catching them out.’

● Plan their inspection and agree with their schedule with the head at the outset. This eliminates unnecessary disruption to pupils’ education during the inspection process.

● Avoid any reference to or discussion before, during or after an inspection about any aspect of a school’s prior or current complaints to Ofsted with anyone connected with the school.

● Final feedback should be given in a supportive manner and give opportunity for questions from both sides and if necessary the offering of further evidence before the final outcome is reached.

You can read the OST revised code here.