Government rejects recommendations to restructure Ofsted

I was interested to read this week that the Government has rejected the Education Select Committee’s recommendation to divide OFSTED in two. Last April the Select Committee reported that it felt that the organisation had become unwieldy and that as a result it was struggling to maintain a system of rigorous inspections which drive up standards for pupils.

In order to provide a more specialised and focused service it suggested the creation of two distinct inspectorates: the Inspectorate for Eduaction and the Inspectorate of Children’s Care. The former would have been responsible for nurseries, schools, colleges, adult education, teacher training and local authority commissioning of schools, while the latter would have concentrated solely on children’s services and care. However, the government has dismissed these recommendations on the basis that they would be costly and disruptive.