Better integration of inspections
From September 2008 new inspection frameworks come into place which will bring together the inspection of the education, boarding (welfare) and Early Years Foundation Stage elements of independent schools and children’s homes.
Two of Ofsted’s key strategic commitments are achieving better inspection and regulation, and achieving better value for money. Following the launch of the new Ofsted last year, one of the ways the organisation is demonstrating these commitments is through the integration of previously separate inspection events.
Until now, an independent or maintained boarding school with early years provision would have been inspected on up to three separate occasions by different parts of Ofsted – all with their own differing notification periods, inspection teams and inspection report styles and formats.
Mindful of our commitment to better consultation, an online consultation was held regarding the proposals
Our independent schools team have been working with colleagues from our Children’s Directorate to combine these inspection events, and has simultaneously been running two policy development projects with integrated inspection as the central goal.
Mindful of our commitment to better consultation, an online consultation was held regarding the proposals. The results showed that our stakeholders were very keen to see an integrated inspection model. They also welcomed the lessening of the pressure of inspection, and believed that the advent of single inspection reports were likely to improve the communication of inspection judgements – making those judgements more accessible, consistent and understandable. These results provided a welcome affirmation of all the hard work carried out this year, and gave us many useful indicators for the future.
Further information
Responses to the consultation on the integration of welfare and education inspections
