That’s why we are making radical changes to the way Ofsted works with schools from September – changes that should support schools in making the necessary improvements.
Ofsted will support the school which may not yet be good but is striving to get to good as quickly as possible. Even though a school may be judged to require improvement under the new inspection arrangements, Ofsted will very clearly highlight the part that leadership is playing in making a difference and setting an upward trajectory.

Ofsted will support the head who makes it his or her central task to lead the improvement of teaching and learning – monitoring what’s happening in the classroom and providing strong professional development to improve practice.

Ofsted will support good teachers with a passion for their subject, who fully engage children and ensure they make good progress.

But – and I want to emphasise this – Ofsted inspectors will not arrive with a preferred teaching style or model lesson.

Lessons, of course, should be planned, but not in an overcomplicated or formulaic way. A crowded lesson plan is as bad as a crowded curriculum. We don’t want to see a wide variety of teaching strategies unless they have coherence or purpose.

If an inspector walks into a classroom and all the pupils are working on an extended task for the whole time the inspector is there, then that’s fine. If the teacher is reading a play with the class and they are all engaged, that’s fine too. Inspectors will want to see evidence that pupils are making good progress, but we’re not going to be prescriptive about lesson structure.

Hmmm… Intressant!