Giving evidence to the Education Select Committee on Tuesday, Sir Martyn told MPs that government proposals for the inspectorate to undertake spot checks on schools’ safeguarding arrangements would cost £45 million a year to deliver.
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Special report: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Instead, he indicated the funding would be better spent on improving SEND provision in light of the pressures on public spending.
“[With] tightening public finances, I think it's right that we ask ourselves, 'Is this the best spending of the money?', he told the committee.
“If you said to me now, 'Do you think children safeguarding in schools is the burning bush?' My answer would be no. We do not see safeguarding as the biggest issue in schools. I would say that, by far, the needs of SEND children is a much bigger need.”
Plans for safeguarding spot checks were first announced by Labour when in opposition last year. They would be introduced alongside new report cards for schools that will replace the now scrapped single-phrase judgment system from September 2025.
To illustrate the challenges with SEND provision, Sir Martyn highlighted that of 38 recent area SEND inspections, 12 showed systemic failings, 16 had inconsistent practice, and only 10 were deemed positive.
Sir Martyn was giving evidence alongside Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for regulation and social care, and Lee Owston, the inspectorate's national director for education.
Stanley said Ofsted is looking to “refresh” and “strengthen” their inclusion of SEND in its new inspection framework and hope to “join the dots” between local authorities, health services and schools in order to provide the best setting for children to achieve their potential.
On the development of the new report card system, Sir Martyn said it will ensure “the right people are held to account”.
The reforms come after the death of Ruth Perry, the Caversham primary head teacher who took her own life when her school was downgraded from an "outstanding" rating to "inadequate" following an Ofsted inspection in January 2023.
Sir Martyn assured the committee that changing from single-phrase judgments to a report card “is not a soft option”, but a “move from low information and high accountability to high quality information with proportionate accountability”.
Owston explained how some head teachers are using their education budget to fund health services for SEND students which is something “they shouldn’t have to do”.
A new framework, set to be published this month and to be consulted on, will recognise good practice in SEND support.
Owston said the new framework will allow inspectors to credit head teachers who are “going above and beyond” to support SEND students but also hold local authorities to account for “a lack of funding in terms of SEND”.
Other issues discussed included Ofsted resisting having a fully independent complaints hub, how they will gain back trust through transparency, and having more powers to inspect multi-academy trusts and illegal schools.
