In October the education secretary, Lucy Powell, ordered schools regulator Ofsted to “go back to the drawing board” regarding its newly implemented inspection framework.

She was responding to a barrage of complaints from headteachers and teaching unions.

Those of us involved in leading the Alternative Big Listen and the Alternative Big Consultation – which sought views on the inspectorate’s plans before the new framework was introduced – predicted this scenario because most responses to those surveys indicated that the planned framework was unfit for purpose.

Close study of Ofsted’s recently issued interim report, which has been received badly by the sector, reinforces that view, despite the regulator’s efforts to spin it otherwise.

Have your say on Ofsted inspections

We are not convinced that further minor tweaking of the framework will sufficiently improve the experience for schools, especially those who lead them.

That’s why we are inviting you to email us to share your responses to these questions:

• What should be on the drawing board?
• Who should be involved in drafting it?

Let’s remember some of the core issues that are currently troubling the secretary of state that require urgent attention. These include:

• Teacher wellbeing: despite the removal of single-word inspection judgements to protect staff mental health after the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, teachers report to us that the new system remains “dangerously stressful” and damaging to their wellbeing.
   
• Evaluating inclusion and context: aprimary driver for sending Ofsted back to the drawing board is how the regulator evaluates schools in deprived or challenging circumstances.
   
• The use of secure fit: many believe Ofsted’s adoption of a “secure fit” approach to grading reduces sensible professional judgements, especially in unusual contextual situations.

Fresh thinking

Following the poor reception given to Ofsted’s interim report and the very recent votes of no confidence in its leadership from three leading education unions, what is clearly needed is urgent consideration of different ways of inspecting schools to provide an inspection system that is much safer, fairer and more proportionate.

That needs imagination and fresh thinking free from the rigid constraints of Ofsted’s tired 34-year-old model.

At long last there appears to be an opportunity for a genuine, not token, rethink. The debate about the future of inspection needs to involve a wider audience.

That is why we are inviting heads, teachers, governors and parents to express their thoughts on what should happen in the short term to the school inspection system and what inspection might look like going forward in the longer term.

Get involved

Our Alternative Big Listen website will publish all the views received up to 15 November so they can be shared and considered.

We want as many people as possible to contribute their thoughts, and we are happy for them to appear anonymously if that is preferred.

Submissions of no more than 750 words explaining what should happen in the short term and what inspection should look like going forward in the long term can be sent to either Frank Norris at frank.norris@Philredom.co.uk or Colin Richards at profcrichards@gmail.com .

Professor Colin Richards and Frank Norris MBE are both former senior inspectors

Originally posted at https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/ofsted-teachers-invited-share-views-how-inspection-should-change