Ofsted chief inspector – Who’s really calling the shots?
How much freedom to set their own agenda does Ofsted’s chief actually have? It depends who and when you’re asking, says Adrian Lyons…
- by Adrian Lyons
During my 16+ years as an HMI I served a series of Ofsted chief inspectors. These included Sir David Bell, Dame Christine Gilbert, Sir Michael Wilshaw and Amanda Spielman. Each of them set a different course.
Since all Ofsted employees are ultimately civil servants carrying out the wishes of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, it’s accurate to state that HMCIs set Ofsted’s overall direction and framework. In terms of its independence, Ofsted ostensibly operates at arm’s length from the government of the day. It’s intended to act as an independent inspectorate.
Key restraints
Ultimately, however, Ofsted is still accountable to the government, and has to contend with two key restraints on its independence:
- Ofsted receives its funding from the DfE
- The government appoints the HMCI
One former HMCI recently recounted to me how he’d fallen out with the then Secretary of State. Not long after this, it also happened that the government cut Ofsted’s funding. That former Ofsted chief inspector went on to tell me that the answer to the question of ‘How independent is an HMCI’? is that ‘They can be as independent as they want to be, if they are willing to face the consequences.’
When, as Education Secretary, Michael Gove pushed hard for large numbers of schools to transfer from LA control to MATs, then-HMCI Sir Michael Wilshaw expressed concerns about inconsistencies in the quality of education across academies, and the need for stronger oversight. Some saw this position – notably Gove’s chief advisor, Dominic Cummings – as undermining Government policy.
In October 2014, an internal DfE memo from Cummings, which was strongly critical of Wilshaw, was leaked to The Guardian.
Soon afterwards, Wilshaw told the paper, “I will not allow Ofsted to be politicised, and I will not be swayed from making the difficult decisions that are sometimes necessary to raise standards in our country. Nor will I be deterred from shining a spotlight on poor performance, whether in academy chains, free schools or local authority schools, no matter how uncomfortable this may be for some people.”
Too many battles
Two years later, I was commissioned by Sir Michael Wilshaw to carry out research and produce a report about how schools help pupils get ready for the world of work. It was to have a particular focus on pupils who struggled with this via the academic route.
Given Ministers’ preference at the time for an EBacc-focussed curriculum, this was shaping up to be another opportunity for Ofsted to assert its independence. Ofsted subsequently published my ‘Getting Ready for Work’ report the month before Wilshaw’s term of office was due to end.
Before publication, however, I received a phone call from an Ofsted official. After acknowledging what Sir Michael had asked me to do, they went on to inform me that they’d needed to ‘tone down’ the message of the report. This was owing to the number of conflicts we’d recently had with the DfE.
Preferred approach
One can therefore surmise that a key requirement for Wilshaw’s successor was to be more in tune with government policy. On the face of it, at least, the current incumbent has certainly met that remit. Spielman has made Ofsted effectively the enforcement arm of the government’s preferred knowledge-rich, EBacc-focussed curriculum.
It’s worth remembering how the BBC reported back in in July 2016 that, “MPs have rejected the government’s choice for the next head of Ofsted, saying they have ‘significant concerns’ about her suitability for the job. Amanda Spielman, who has no teaching experience, failed to show ‘passion’ or an understanding of the ‘complex role’, education select committee MPs said.”
Perhaps the then Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, was working to a different set of essential attributes…
Adrian Lyons was one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors between 2005 and 2021. He now works with MATs, teacher training providers and LAs to support education. Find out more at adrianlyonsconsulting.com
