Your piece on Mike Tomlinson, acting chief inspector of schools (TES, November 10), was illuminating. According to your dates, he stopped teaching before many of this year’s NQTs were born.
No doubt he is an able individual; quite possibly the best chief inspector available. And, to be fair, he spent more time in the classroom than his predecessor. But shouldn’t all those involved in inspecting schools have some eperience of teaching in the
modern era?
As a minimum, should we not require all OFSTED inspectors to have taught within the past five years, and to have experienced at least one inspection from the front of the classroom? Such a reform would certainly raise the stock of OFSTED, to the benefit of the entire education service.
Philip Tapsfield
45 Crescent Road
Burgess Hill, West Sussex
