Confederation of Schools Trusts Deputy Chief Executive Steve Rollett said: "It is clear that Ofsted has undertaken a listening exercise on a scale unprecedented in its history. There are some significant and sensible changes in Ofsted’s response and we hope they will make a positive difference to how school staff, parents and children feel about inspection.
"Dame Christine Gilbert’s Independent Learning Review is a very significant report in policy terms. It is a wide-ranging review of Ofsted’s culture, leadership and governance, concluding with 14 recommendations for reform. Perhaps the most important of these is the final recommendation, which says: 'As part of its planning for a school report card, the government should initiate a debate about the essential elements of the wider public accountability system, of which Ofsted is a part.'
"In CST’s view, the challenge for Ofsted and government is to hold the moving parts together and to land a coherent and high-quality approach to inspection, regulation and improvement that addresses the concerns raised in the Big Listen without inadvertently ushering in adverse unintended consequences. This will best be achieved by working from sound principles, engaging widely, and maintaining a sharp focus on how it functions as a system. Trusts are a pivotal actor in this system, and we look forward to working on behalf of the with Ofsted and Department for Education on the important work ahead.”
