According to the government website Ofsted are due to visit all schools deemed to be outstanding within the next five years under new Government proposals.
The repeat inspections mean that schools rated as outstanding by Ofsted will no longer be exempt from routine inspection, and also underlines the government’s position that school inspections serve a vital purpose in improving standards and behaviour.
The government last Friday launched a consultation which will look into all outstanding schools and colleges being brought back into a regular inspection cycle – with Ofsted visiting every them every four to five years and is believed to affect around 3,700 schools and colleges who have been rated outstanding when the exemption is lifted in September.
The government believe that ending the exemption, which was introduced in 2012, will mean parents will have up to date information about every school and can be confident that schools continue to deliver the best education for their children.
This will also help to maintain the rising standards that have enabled schools to help pupils get to grips with the new, more demanding curriculum at both primary and secondary level.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Parents want to know that they are making the best, most informed choices about their children’s education.
“Making sure that all schools are regularly inspected means they will benefit from the expert insight Ofsted provides when making these decisions.
“We know parents trust Ofsted – and with good reason. It serves a valuable purpose as the only organisation that gives a clear, accessible and impartial view on school and college performance.
“But it’s also far more than that – it’s a driver of improvement. Although we continue to trust our best schools and colleges to get on with the job of educating, without Ofsted standards would go unchecked and the exemption meant there is often not an up to date picture.”
The proposals in the consultation are still subject to parliamentary approval, but if they are passed the government will prioritise those schools that have gone the longest without inspection.
The original exemption was introduced in 2012 in part so that Ofsted could focus on those schools that they deemed to be failing and underperforming in their duty to their pupils.
Since 2012 school standards have risen and there has been a drop from the percentage of schools graded inadequate or require improvement dropping from 33% to just 14% in August last.
