§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)My honourable friend the Minister for School Standards (Mr David Miliband) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have today placed in the Library of the House, copies of a new publication A New Relationship with Schools. This document, produced jointly between the DfES and Ofsted, follows the speech I made at the 28WS North of England Education Conference in January and sets out our intentions to simplify school improvement processes, reduce bureaucracy and deliver an intelligent accountability framework. This new relationship will put a premium on ensuring effective and ongoing self-evaluation in every school combined with sharper-edged, lighter-touch, but no less rigorous external inspection. Ofsted consulted on the future of inspection proposals between 10 February and 8 April 2004. HMCI David Bell has now reached agreement with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on the changes. The document sets out our intention, subject to the scrutiny and approval of Parliament, to change the inspection system with a range of complementary changes for schools. Based upon the responses to the consultation and the work with LEAs and schools, actively engaged as our partners, I have confidence that these changes will improve education for pupils and ensure parents and the public know even more about the schools their children attend.
New Relationship with Schools Proposals
The DfES is currently developing detailed proposals for a new relationship with schools, which cover a group of interlocking changes that will affect school inspection, schools' relations with local and central government, schools' self-evaluation and planning, data collection from schools and communications with schools. They aim to reduce bureaucracy, strip out clutter, and release greater energy in schools.
Future of Inspection proposals
The new inspection system will mean shorter and more frequent inspections at shorter notice than at present. The proposed framework would allow two to five working days notice before an inspection instead of the current six to 10 weeks. There will be a greater emphasis on school self-evaluation and a simplified approach to schools causing concern. The current approach to schools that need special measures will be retained and a new improvement notice for other schools where there are weaknesses will be introduced.
In the trials of the new inspection process, the outcome has been a stronger link between school improvement and the reports produced by inspectors. Schools have welcomed the new system.
HMI will play a role in all inspections and inspection reports will be published within three weeks of an inspection, compared to four to five months at present. The proposals will reduce burdens on schools while ensuring that parents benefit from more frequent information about the quality and standard of education provided by schools. Overall the weight of inspection, with much sharper inspections, a smaller team, but at a greater frequency, will be roughly half the current weight.