Thursday 19 March 2020
The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture his postponing pilot and full school inspections by Ofsted as a result of the developing circumstances concerning coronavirus.
School inspectors were due in the island next week to carry out sessions in schools to prepare staff for the new inspection arrangements. However, new requirements for all arrivals into the Bailiwick to self-isolate for 14 days means they will no longer make this inessential journey.
Pilot inspections in schools were due to take place during the summer term. They will be run as soon as possible but not before the autumn term of the next school year. Full inspections were due to start in the autumn term but will now not be run until the spring term in 2021.
Deputy Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
'The Committee has been working closely with Ofsted in the development of a new inspection framework. Staff training and pilot inspections were an important part of preparing schools for Ofsted inspections. We have made the decision to postpone them in the interests of our schools and staff in schools who cannot be expected to give attention to this matter in the current circumstances. We wanted to provide school leaders and teachers with early certainty about inspections and we assure them the new programme of inspections will not commence until schools are ready for them.'
