Spielman announced her departure on social media this week.
The Department for Education has also posted a job description for her £165,000-a-year post. Candidates have until 6 April to apply.
“I’ll be leaving this amazing job at the end of 2023,” confirmed Spielman, who urged suitable candidates to apply to replace her in the role “if you think you have the experience, the energy and the commitment it needs”.
The ad for my successor is out. I’ll be leaving this amazing job at the end of 2023, and if you think you have the experience, the energy and the commitment it needs, and want to work with our fantastic staff, apply here: https://t.co/3nTEHwRsRT
— Amanda Spielman (@amanda_spielman) March 14, 2023
The contract for her replacement is set at five years. The DfE has said it is looking for candidates who have “significant experience at a senior level in schools or trusts”.
They also must show a good understanding “of the current political landscape” and show “excellent judgement under pressure”.
Among the roles of the job is to ensure Ofsted prioritises safeguarding in schools, colleges and children’s services as well as promoting “high educational outcomes in an autonomous and increasingly trust-led school system”.
Conservative peer Ralph Lucas offered congratulations to Spielman “on a job superbly well done”.
But SENCO Tiago Ferreira notes that the salary for Spielman's role is “not bad for someone who has never even been a teacher”.
£165k… not bad for someone who has never even been a teacher!
— Tiago Ferreira (@tiagoteaching) March 15, 2023
This is in reference to her non-teaching career path. She joined Ofsted in January 2017 having previously been chair of exam watchdog Ofqual for five years. She had also been an education advisor at academy chain Ark for five years until 2016.
Spielman’s first career role was as an accountant at KPMG in Bristol in the 1980s, before taking senior roles at among others Mercer Management Consulting and Bridgewater Business Analysis.
Earlier this year Spielman apologised for failures by Ofsted around its inspection of two residential special schools in Doncaster. The inspectorate handed the schools ratings of “good” however they are now subject to a police investigation over allegations of abuse of vulnerable children.
