Ofsted inspections still expected from next half term

Monday 07 February 2022

The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture is expecting no further delays to Ofsted inspections of schools in the Bailiwick.

The covid-19 pandemic has repeatedly forced the Committee to postpone the first inspections to be carried out by Ofsted after it was appointed as the inspectorate of schools in the Bailiwick from September 2019.

Nick Hynes, Director of Education, said that plans remain on track for Ofsted inspectors to be in the Bailiwick at some point after the February half term to visit the first schools selected for inspection.

"The Committee confirmed that, save for any significant and unexpected change in circumstances across the islands, there will not be any further whole-system delay to external inspections in Guernsey and Alderney," said Mr Hynes. 

"After half term, any deferrals of Ofsted inspection will be handled on an individual basis depending upon the specific circumstances of each setting at the time of their notification.

"Ofsted decides which settings it wishes to inspect and when."

Pictured: The schedule of school inspections is determined by Ofsted and its inspection reports are provided to the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and Director of Education Nick Hynes, above, before being published. Ofsted's first published reports are expected before Easter. 

Ofsted has already carried out pilot inspections of a small number of schools in the Bailiwick to allow the inspectorate and schools to familiarise themselves with the new inspection framework which replaces one used when Education Scotland was the inspectorate.

The pandemic has prevented external inspections of Bailiwick schools since the summer of 2019. 

Towards the end of last year, when announcing another delay to inspections caused by covid restrictions and pressures, the President of the Committee, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, said: "We remain committed to the new inspection framework beginning when things have settled because it is an essential part of the continual improvement process that I know all education leaders and we as a Committee also consider vital."