Schools ‘having hard time dealing with aftermath of lockdowns’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It's for Government to decide if it wants to change that whole framework of public accountability, but I think we're feeling a bit of a push from the school sector for exemption from that framework Amanda Spielman, Ofsted “And I think there’s a sense among schools that it’s unfair to be held account publicly when they’re working so hard with such difficult issues.” Ms Spielman said school performance is inspected in the same way as the rest of education, as well as healthcare, social services, police and prisons. Addressing the Education Select Committee on Wednesday, she added: “It’s for Government to decide if it wants to change that whole framework of public accountability, but I think we’re feeling a bit of a push from the school sector for exemption from that framework.” Her comments come after the inspectorate has faced calls to revamp its school ratings system – which uses one-word judgments – following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in January. But she added: “For more than a decade, we’ve been responsible only for diagnosis and responsibility for support and improvement lies entirely with others.” I'm certainly in favour of a single-word judgment and I think the simplicity of it is important Schools minister Nick Gibb When asked whether she supported calls for one-word judgments to be removed, Ms Spielman said: “It is not a change I can make.” During the committee hearing, schools minister Nick Gibb defended Ofsted’s system of single-word judgments as he said it was the “clarity that parents need”. Last month, Sir Michael Wilshaw, who was head of Ofsted between 2012 and 2016, told MPs that the watchdog’s one-word judgments need “to go”.