Ofsted Response – prevention of future deaths report

Ofsted and the Department for Education have now responded to a report from the coroner who oversaw the inquest into headteacher Ruth Perry’s death.

Ofsted plans to conduct a formal internal review of where safeguarding fits with individual inspection judgments, explore having safeguarding as a standalone judgement ‘decoupled’ from the leadership and management grade and examine whether further changes can give more time for improvement for schools with ineffective safeguarding but judged ‘good’ or better in other areas.

Ofsted have already published a new policy on pausing inspections of state schools where a serious issue has been identified requiring ‘substantial action’.

What more Ofsted plans to do:

• Work with sector bodies to make sure raising and responding to concerns about leaders’ welfare is understood by inspectors and the responsible body
• Clarify in handbooks, guidance, code of conduct and complaints procedures how providers can raise concerns about inspectors’ behaviour
• Communicate the message that leaders can share provisional outcomes and the draft report with those they deem appropriate, including partners, health professionals and those providing personal support
• Review, processes to reduce the amount of time between an inspection and the publication of a report.

What Ofsted has already put in place:

• Updated handbooks to make clear that schools can fix minor administrative issues during inspections
• Introduced policy of revisiting ‘good’ schools with safeguarding issues within three months
• Depersonalised language in reports to refer to schools rather than individuals
• Changed its handbook to allow heads and teachers to have a colleague join discussions with inspectors
• Introduced a helpline for managing concerns about the inspection process
• Require lead inspectors to request contact details of the person responsible for leaders’ wellbeing
• All lead inspectors given mental health awareness training
• Proposed a new complaints process allowing schools to contact Ofsted the day after an inspection with direct escalation to an independent body.

See the Ofsted prevention of future deaths report for more details.