Ofsted 'should be refocused on teaching'

The report by the National Education Trust and Association of School and College Leaders only looks at Ofsted’s inspections of schools rather than its social care remit.

It argues that school inspections are too broad and that it would be better for areas such as financial management to be kept in check through a "routine audit" by councils. Instead, inspections should focus on teaching and involve more validation of self-evaluation by schools.

Dr Tony Ashmore, policy adviser for the trust, said: "The focus on teaching has been lost as Ofsted’s remit has got larger and its school inspections are swamped by a range of issues."

He added that although social care was not covered in the report, this side of Ofsted’s work may be better handled by a specialist social care inspection body.

A spokesman for Ofsted said that last September a new framework was brought in to give a greater focus on classroom inspections. "Our focus has always been on teaching and the leadership and management of schools and now we give more time in inspections to looking at what happens in the classroom."

The latest figures revealed that since the new framework more schools have been judged inadequate.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said that the new inspection regime had "unilaterally shifted the goalposts in terms of what is success and failure".