Martyn Oliver: My plan to improve Ofsted’s effectiveness

As the new chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills, my mission is to restore and strengthen confidence in Ofsted’s work. This is essential because Ofsted plays a vital role, ensuring children across England receive the high standard of education and care to which they are entitled.  

I am proud to lead an organisation that works on behalf of children, their parents and carers. And I am proud of the work we do. 

And while I know professionals in the sectors we inspect and regulate expect Ofsted to improve how it works with them, I also know they expect our work to be rigorous and challenging. Because we all have children’s best interests at heart. 

As a teacher and headteacher of 29 years, I know the privilege of working with young people – and the responsibility that goes with it. I have experienced countless Ofsted inspections. The very best highlighted the strengths of the organisations I led, while unapologetically documenting the weaknesses.   

I expected inspections to be challenging. I expected the scrutiny. Because my work mattered. It mattered to the children I was responsible for. It mattered to their parents. But most of all, it mattered for their futures and the future of this country. 

The education system in England – and the professionals who work in it – has much to be proud of. Our six-year-olds are the fourth best readers in the world and more disadvantaged students are entering higher education.  

But I am concerned about weaknesses in the safety net that exists for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable. And this is where I think Ofsted matters most and can have a big impact. 

Parents are coming up against often disjointed local systems to secure the support their children need and deserve. There has been a 53 per cent rise in crisis referrals to children’s mental health services. And we know too many parents are having to fight harder than they should for the special education support their children need to thrive.  

Ofsted can play a role in highlighting these issues, including where local differences are creating a postcode lottery for parents.  

But I am even more concerned for the children who do not have loving families to fight on their behalf. 

The number of children’s homes has grown year-on-year, but we do not have homes in the right places, offering the right care for children’s specific needs. We know each and every day around 60 children are waiting for a bed in a secure children’s home.  

The ownership of some children’s homes is another concern. Too many children’s homes have become an investment vehicle for private equity, often based overseas, driving higher prices without any evidence of improved care.  

Local authorities are under enormous strain. But four out of 10 local authorities are not yet consistently good for children’s services – and that cannot be good enough.  

The Ofsted I lead will not hesitate in shining a light on what it is like to be a child in this country. We will do so without fear or favour. We will do so on behalf of parents and carers seeking the best for their children – and especially so for those children without a loving family fighting their corner. 

We will celebrate the successes as standards of education, children’s services and skills rise, but we will also expose weaknesses that need to be addressed – especially when those weaknesses leave the most disadvantaged and vulnerable without the high standards of education and care they deserve.  

I have committed to hearing from the professionals we work with – like teachers and social workers – and the people we work for – parents, carers and children. I will do this through a Big Listen, launching in March. 

And as I listen to parents, carers, children and professionals, I want to hear what more Ofsted can do to make sure children get the education and care they need and deserve. Our work really matters – and getting it right is in everyone’s interest. 

• Martyn Oliver is Ofsted’s chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills