Powell: Ofsted needs 'much stronger' focus on school context

Ofsted needs a “much stronger” focus on school context in inspections, the education secretary has stated today.

Lucy Powell confirmed that there will be reforms to the school watchdog amid increased concern about its latest inspection framework.

Speaking at a fringe event today at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Ms Powell said she wanted to see a “much stronger” focus on school context from Ofsted.

Her comments come after Tes revealed that she had branded the current Ofsted inspection system “high stakes and low trust”.

They also follow a Tes investigation revealing that schools with a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities were more likely to get lower grades across all of Ofsted’s main evaluation areas - including on inclusion.

And a separate Tes analysis had shown that schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils were almost three times more likely to be marked down by Ofsted on their achievement grade than schools with the lowest proportion.

Powell: I want a ‘self-collaborative’ inspection system

In a letter to the Association of School and College Leaders last week, Ms Powell said she wanted to move to an Ofsted system that recognises the context that school staff are working in.

But she went further on the panel at the conference fringe event this afternoon, telling delegates: “I want to see a much stronger emphasis in the current inspection system on context, much stronger than it is at the moment.”

She added that she also wants to see a greater focus on “what is happening in schools...rather than a tick-box exercise”.

“I want to see an end state, if you like, of a self-inclusion, self-collaborative and supported school improvement model,” the education secretary continued.

While Ms Powell said that “there will be change on Ofsted”, she did not confirm what aspect of the accountability system she will prioritise first.

Schools need to be both ‘relevant’ and ‘outstanding’

Ms Powell, who is also Labour’s deputy leader, addressed conference delegates separately in a speech today on the main stage.

“Our schools are now some of the best in the world, and we should celebrate that, but we can also recognise that it’s not working for everyone,” she said.

The government is currently developing plans to offer technical education routes to 14-year-olds from 2029.

“Literacy and numeracy will always be the core,” Ms Powell said. But she repeated a concern that the status quo is a “straitjacket” for too many students.

She directly addressed criticism from former Conservative education secretary Michael Gove, who had said the government’s plans amounted to “bringing back stupid”.

She said today: “I’ll tell you what’s stupid: being stuck in the past while the world changes fast, and I’ll tell you what’s stupid: claiming to be evidence-led while saying you’ve had enough of the experts.”

The school system needs to be “relevant as well as outstanding,” she said. “Always high standards, but looking to the future, not the past. That’s why I’m putting technical and vocational qualifications on a par with academic ones,” Ms Powell said.

She told delegates that her role as education secretary is “definitely the best role in government”, adding: “Almost my entire family are in education.”

Labour will also “go further on the curriculum review to allow more time to go deeper and for richer experiences,” she said, echoing recent comments.

Praising “amazing teachers, school leaders and support staff”, Ms Powell stated that teaching is “a calling, not a job”.

She said: “I will always value school leaders and the school workforce, and their wellbeing. I understand the job you do, even in some of the most challenging contexts, and I want a culture built on respect, collaboration, not competition: self-improving and self-sustaining communities of schools working together for their community of children.”