The Civitas report, Inspecting the Inspectorate, claims Ofsted's "short, sharp" ‘section 5' school inspections, which it has been carrying out since 2005, are "often superficial to the point of worthlessness" as they are based on performance data examined prior to visiting the school.
Civitas says the performance data could be out of date and only tells inspectors about part of the currciulum.
Children, Schools and Families Select Committee chairman, Barry Sheerman, contributed to the report. He said: "As inspection reports and results become increasingly interchangeable, many educational practitioners feel that the inspectors' minds are made up long before they observe the quality of teaching or the atmosphere within a school."
Anastasia de Waal, head of family and education at Civitas and editor of the report, concluded: "Parents trust Ofsted reports to the extent that they can even influence where families choose to live. But the bottom line is that Ofsted's judgements are not reliable guides to school quality."
