Polly Toynbee rightly highlights not only the impact of Ofsted’s “reign of fear” but also the many other negative legacies of Michael Gove and Nick Gibb (The Ruth Perry tragedy must mark the end of Ofsted’s reign of fear, 12 December). Teacher recruitment and retention have reached crisis proportions, and the answer is to not address this as a discrete issue but to recognise that it is the result of the pressures that schools have been placed under over the last 13 years, not least in their role as the last service standing for many families, given the cuts to children’s services.
If we accept Labour’s requirement that all policies must be funded, there is still much that could be done at virtually no cost, but that would indicate its understanding of the context and future intentions. Top of the list would be the abandonment of one-word Ofsted judgments. Others include saving the highly valued BTecs, scrapping the narrow Ebacc, reaccrediting the higher education institutions that have been blocked from training teachers, and pausing further academisation. I am sure readers could come up with more.
In addition, major reviews of Ofsted and the curriculum and assessments could be started now.
Alasdair Macdonald
Chair, New Visions for Education Group; former headteacher, Morpeth school, Tower Hamlets, London
While I agree with Polly Toynbee’s analysis of the impact of assessments on teaching staff and on the distortion of the curriculum from a rounded education to a narrow, exam-focused regime, it is important to remember that it is not just schools that are subject to this culture of inspections. Ofsted has also been responsible for the inspection of children’s services, including children’s homes, safeguarding services, and fostering and adoption services since about 2007.
These services have also been subjected to single-word judgments and inspectors who are driven by process, many of whom do not understand the complex needs of families and see success as a well-written case file.
Ofsted has played a damaging role in driving out good social work practice, to be replaced by formulaic actions. It has to be hoped that a Labour government will replace Ofsted with an inspection regime that promotes good practice and service improvement in a supportive and positive way. Our public servants deserve nothing less.
Alison Walton
Newcastle upon Tyne
Polly Toynbee correctly points out that her argument applies to the health sector, and her analysis also applies to children’s social care, which is subject to the Ofsted regime. I conducted in-depth interviews in 2020 for my study, The Myth of Measurement (Sage, 2021). Senior managers from children’s social care described the anxiety and stress of the inspection and the damaging impact of single-word judgments, followed by a cycle of resignations, staff turnover, instability and massive expenditure on agency staff, who often charge extortionate fees.
A scorecard system, or review by independent professionals and citizens, offers a more rational and humane way forward.
Emeritus Professor Nick Frost
Denby Dale, West Yorkshire