By Sheila Mckenzie-
Ofsted has overturned a provisional ‘inadequate’ judgement after an academy trust complained about the process undertaken by inspectors who turned up at the school to conduct inspections.
The academy claimed that Ofsted inspectors had not understood its “innovative” new curriculum.
Park Academy West London was fOverturnsound to have “serious weaknesses” after a two-day visit in November.
Aspirations Academies Trust, which runs Park Academy in West London complained about what they described as a “deeply flawed” inspection before the report was published. The Academy Trust said inspectors had not understood its new “no limits” curriculum programme, and had “pre-conceived” ideas about how curriculum should be taught.
Ofsted conducted their original inspection in November 2019 but sent two senior inspectors to visit the school again in January as part of its moderation process. It eventually upgraded the judgement to ‘requires improvement’ and apologising to the trust.
The effective complaint of the trust against Ofsted raises legitimate questions as to whether all inspectors are adequately skilled for the job.
The trust is implementing a new “transdisciplinary” approach that ties in various aspects of the curriculum for six periods a week.
Aspirations managing director Steve Kenning told the Eye Of Media.Com:
“It was disappointing to see them get it wrong. They jumped to conclusions without properly understanding what they were doing at any phase. They did not talk to the senior curriculum leader or myself about it. We are ofcourse glad that they rectified their originally ill judged rating”.
“We felt that they hadn’t gathered a sufficient evidence-base to judge the school accurately.”
Paula Kenning, the trust’s deputy managing director, added that the experience had left them wondering whether Ofsted “is fit for purpose”. She said that they doubt the watchdog’s ability to deal with schools that take an innovative curriculum approach.
Despite the new framework stating that those who do innovate will be judged favourably, she said that “we haven’t found that to be the case… The training is leading to inspectors, for whatever reason, disaggregating what’s happening in the school into almost a ‘tick-box approach’.
“So, if they can see discrete RE or discrete computing, and so on, then the tick-list is a positive one. And if they can’t see that, it seems to me that the training hasn’t led to all inspectors having the capacity to actually have a more holistic view of the curriculum – to actually see where it’s mapped out.”
It’s the latest concern to emerge over Ofsted’s curriculum focus. Schools Week revealed in October how inspectors were conducting curriculum “deep dives” in subjects outside their expertise.
An Ofsted study found that inspectors without subject expertise struggle to reliably assess the quality of lessons and pupils’ workbooks in secondary schools.
Stephen Rollett, curriculum and inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the union was encouraged by the fact that Ofsted has been carrying out “significant amounts” of curriculum training for inspectors.
“We have sat in on that training and we have been happy with the quality of that training,” he said.