The justification given by the Conservatives to support their new plans for Ofsted inspections make for interesting reading if you've spent time looking at the research evidence on this topic, including the evidence from Ofsted themselves. /Thread https://twitter.com/EDSKthinktank/status/1200319124804685824

First we have the claim that "Ofsted is an independent and trusted source of information for parents".

Ofsted's latest parent survey showed only 61% agree that 'Ofsted acts as a reliable and trusted judge of standards' across different schools. /2

In addition, Ofsted's survey of parents showed only 36% agree that 'Ofsted acts independently of government'.

Taken together, these findings suggest that Ofsted is not really seen by parents as an independent or trusted source of information. /3

Second we have the claim that Ofsted is an independent and trusted source of information for teachers as well.

Ofsted's latest survey of teachers found only 18% agree that 'Ofsted acts as a reliable and trusted arbiter of standards'. 55% of teachers disagree. /4

Third, the Conservatives claim Ofsted inspections 'help to raise standards in our schools'.

As our recent @EDSKthinktank report showed, there is no clear evidence that the inspection process actually leads to better schools. /5

Read a summary here:
https://www.edsk.org/publications/requires-improvement

What's more, Ofsted's latest surveys have shown that only 62% of parents and just 20% of teachers agree that 'Ofsted is a force for improvement in England's education system'. /6

Fourth, it is claimed that without Ofsted 'parents won't have reliable information about the performance of their child's school'.

Our @EDSKthinktank report showed there is strong evidence that Ofsted grades are neither accurate nor reliable. /7 https://www.edsk.org/publications/requires-improvement

Btw, if you are wondering why the Conservatives chose to make inspections longer, trial no-notice inspections and offer more money to train inspectors, all the answers are in Ofsted's parent survey from 2018... /8

cc @MaryBoustedNEU @nick_brook
@LeadingLearner @teacherhead

When Ofsted asked parents who thought their judgements were unreliable to explain their decision, 3 of their top 5 responses were:

- "Inspections are too short" (chosen by 52%)
- "Too much notice is given" (44%)
- Inspectors "don’t have the right skills or knowledge" (22%)
/9

The other two most popular responses were:

- "The ...school or college is different during the inspection" (chosen by 51%)
- "Inspectors aren’t looking at the right things" (40%)

Both of which are true, but the Conservatives can't do anything about them (at least, not now).
/10

In summary, irrespective of your own views or perspective on Ofsted, I think it's important we stick to the best available evidence so that the discussion is an informed one.

The data shows we should not necessarily assume that parents like or trust Ofsted...

/End