Careers: Education inspector

What do education inspectors do?
The role of the education inspector dates back to the 1830s – one of the first inspectors was the Victorian poet, Matthew Arnold. The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) is now responsible for inspecting educational settings in England. It reports directly to parliament. Its inspectors carry out hundreds of inspection visits every week, to check that schools are delivering high-quality education to children and young people, while promoting their wellbeing. 

What skills or qualifications do inspectors need?
“Typically, Her Majesty’s inspectors (HMIs) have extensive senior experience in education, a deep understanding, a quick intellect, and are able to get on with other people in a wide range of circumstances,” says Mike Cladingbowl, Ofsted’s schools director.

An intense period of induction sees new HMIs shadow existing inspectors for six months. Joan Bonenfant, HMI, adds: “A typical qualification background is a good degree and usually a further professional qualification such as an NVQ or a master’s, and many years’ experience at senior level.”

“You need to be able to sift information quickly and get to the core of the issue, and to make sure your judgments are stacked up and fully supported by evidence. You need to be able to manage a team and establish a good team ethos between people who may not have worked together before, and you have to be articulate and able to write well. You also need a strong moral purpose. The overarching reason you are in it is because of the children; that has to be absolutely central.”

Additional inspectors must have a relevant degree or teaching qualification, a minimum of five years’ successful teaching experience, credibility and up-to-date professional knowledge, competence in the use of IT and a clear criminal records bureau check. After employment, additional inspectors undertake six months of training, and must gain the Professional Qualification for Serving Inspectors.

Who can become an inspector?
Many education inspectors are former school leaders. There are two types of inspector: HMIs are employed directly by Ofsted as full-time civil servants, while additional inspectors work part-time and are employed on behalf of Ofsted by regional inspection providers: currently Serco, Tribal and CfBT. Ofsted runs a secondment programme whereby head teachers can work as a full-time inspector for a year.

HMIs, who generally work from home between inspections, now have a dual role of inspecting schools and helping them to improve.

Around half of all additional inspectors are also employed elsewhere, for example as head or deputy head teachers, while others are self-employed, for example, as consultants.

Are there opportunities for promotion?
Many HMIs are content to remain as an inspector. However, some take on an additional role – senior HMIs look after groups of HMIs, while regional directors look after groups of senior HMIs.

MY JOB: Joan Bonenfant, Her Majesty’s inspector

Joan Bonenfant joined Ofsted last October from her previous role as a deputy head at a large comprehensive. She says: “School improvement is very dear to my heart – I came from challenging economic circumstances and education was the liberation for me.”
 
Bonenfant leads seven or eight inspections every term, spending two days in schools and working from home before and after inspections, examining schools’ data and websites, liaising with the team of other inspectors who will join her, and writing her reports. She says she loves the job, and the only downside in the past has been going in and out of schools and not being able to build relationships with them, so she is enthusiastic about inspectors’ new dual role in supporting improvement.

“I get to see good schools and build up expertise so I can share that – for example I said to one school ‘would you mind if so-and-so comes in to see your fantastic maths department?’ That has already been useful to a number of schools,” she says.