Ofsted research: The importance of trusts in school inspections

Ofsted have published new research exploring the role of MATs during school inspections.

The research finds that trusts are an important part of school inspection and have some involvement at each stage of the process. However, Ofsted’s legal remit only permits inspections to operate at an individual school level, limiting the extent to which inspectors can report on the work of the trust and its influence.

‘How multi-academy trusts are involved in school inspections report’ finds that:

• Inspections cover the influential role that trusts have in the quality of education in their schools, particularly in designing the curriculum
• Inspectors recognised the role of many trusts in setting expectations for teaching and for teaching and managing behaviour
• Trusts often set the strategic vision for personal development and use their resources to provide opportunities for pupils
• Trust leaders said that they were always involved in strategic school leadership decisions, regardless of their operating model
• The fact that Ofsted’s legal powers require inspection to operate at school level can leave the role of the trust in inspection unclear, causing frustration for trust leaders and inspectors
• Both trust leaders and inspectors highlighted that inspection at school level does not hold the trust sufficiently accountable or attribute enough credit to the trust’s work.

School trusts are an integral part of the education landscape, with some running dozens of schools. They oversee all aspects of schools’ work and often turn around some very challenging situations. The inspectors and trust leaders Ofsted spoke to highlighted that inspection only of individual schools did not hold the trust sufficiently accountable, or credit the trust enough for its work.

The report draws evidence from survey responses by 105 His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and 11 semi-structured interviews with trust chief executive officers (CEOs) or their representatives.

The National Governance Association (NGA) holds the view that MATs should be inspected as single organisations to help ensure that large-scale collaboration works for their pupils and communities they serve.

Would you like to hear more from Ofsted about its expectations? DAG’s popular Summer Term Seminar will be held on 14^th June 2023 with James McNeillie, HMI Regional Director, South West, book your place via [email protected].