Serious concerns about OFSTED are raised by the formal inquiry led by Sir Jim Knight which reported recently.  Beyond Ofsted states that the inspection system is toxic and has created a culture of fear within schools exacerbated by the suicide of a headteacher when her school was judged to require improvement although most aspects of the provision were praised.  Beyond Ofsted makes it clear that the organisation has lost the trust of the teaching profession and, increasingly, of parents.  One-word judgements after a brief visit from a single inspector cannot capture the complexity of what schools undertake.  Knight recommends reform of the inspection system; the current edition of Forum, and an article by the editor address these significant issues comprehensively:

      FORUM: Volume 65 Issue 3 (2023) - Lawrence Wishart 

      Yarker, P. (2023) Foreign and Contrary - Lawrence Wishart