Ofsted 'should be split up'

Sunday, 17 April 2011 12:01 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Ofsted should be split into two new organisations, a group of MPs has said.

The education select committee said Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) should have its dual responsibilities to inspect education and child care separated into two inspectorates.

It urged the government to create more focused organisations, arguing Ofsted's remit was too broad.

The committee's report found Ofsted had not substantially communicated "its non-schools remit" to the public.

"We believe that having a single children's inspectorate has not worked well enough to merit its continuation," the report stated.

"In order to focus greater attention on children's services and care, and to ensure inspection is respected by its customers, we recommend that the government splits Ofsted into two inspectorates."

The MPs argued the public would benefit from a more specialised inspection service.
Graham Stuart MP, chairman of the education committee, said there needed to be a "radical shift".

"Ofsted's reach is vast and its remit has grown substantially since its inception, but this has come at the expense of providing a more specialised service," he said.

"We need a radical shift in how inspection operates in this country, with a more proportionate, specialist and focussed approach.

"Ofsted has, of course, made a great impact on the quality of provision across the country, but the evidence clearly shows that smaller, more focussed organisations could do even more so."

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