Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the head of Ofsted on changes to the (a) frequency of and (b) methodology used in school inspections for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector about a range of matters, including Ofsted’s inspection approaches and programmes. On 3 December, the Secretary of State for Education confirmed the intention that routine, graded school inspections would not resume until the summer term, and that in the meantime, Ofsted would carry out monitoring inspections in schools most in need of support.
The Department will continue to engage with Ofsted as it implements its inspections in the spring term, and prepares for the resumption of routine, graded inspections.