The Educator Magazine U.K. Jan-April 2025 issue - Magazine - Page 30
Ofsted publishes Big Listen
action monitoring report
and announces trials of
new inspection approach
Ofsted has today published the first monitoring report on 132 commitments
made in the Big Listen and the response to Dame Christine Gilbert’s
independent learning review. Source: Ofsted
• Forty-two out of 132 pledges completed
so far, with good progress made on
remaining actions.
• Trials of new inspection approach to
begin week of 6 January.
• Consultation on renewed education
inspection framework to open later in
January.
Ofsted has today published the first
monitoring report on 132 commitments
made in the Big Listen and the response
to Dame Christine Gilbert’s independent
learning review.
The monitoring report sets out all the
improvement actions that Ofsted has
completed to date and provides an update
on those not yet completed. It shows that
just under a third (42) of the actions have
been completed so far, with work to deliver
the others progressing as planned.
Ofsted has also today announced that it will
begin trials of a new approach to education
inspection in the first week of the new term,
with visits to a small number of volunteer
schools. These visits will informally test
elements of the proposed inspection
framework, which Ofsted will publish for
consultation later in January.
Later in the term, and in parallel with the
consultation, Ofsted will formally pilot the
new approach in schools as well as other
education settings, including early years
providers, non-associated independent
schools, further education and skills
providers, and initial teacher education
providers. These pilots will help to refine
and improve Ofsted’s proposals.
Following consultation, and any changes
to the proposed approach, Ofsted will
run further pilot inspections of a range of
volunteer providers to test the final model.
At the same time, a series of events will
be held to inform and support education
professionals.
Ofsted Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver,
said: Our response to the Big Listen set out
our determination to retain the confidence
of children, their parents and carers, and to
earn back the trust of the dedicated
professionals working hard to improve
children’s life chances.
I’m pleased to now be publishing this first
monitoring report, which describes all the
work we are doing to improve our culture
and practices. I hope that it shows that we
are willing to listen, accept challenge, and
take action where it’s needed.
I am also delighted that the work to trial our
new inspection approach begins in early
January. Feedback from these trials, and
from our soon-to-be-launched
consultation, will shape and improve our
proposals.
In her independent learning review,
published in September, Dame Christine
Gilbert recommended that Ofsted should
produce a ‘single, overarching
improvement and development plan’,
detailing all the initiatives and actions
arising from the Coroner and Education
Select Committee’s reports
Ofsted fully accepted this recommendation
and the response to the Big Listen provided
that top-level plan, setting out a total of
132 actions that aimed to achieve 3 core
objectives:
1. To reset relationships with those
Ofsted regulates and inspects,
working collaboratively to put
children and learners first
2. To foster a culture of integrity in
which Ofsted always treats people
with professionalism, courtesy,
empathy and respect
3. To be a learning organisation that
operates transparently, listens to
challenge and takes action to change
In the response to Dame Christine’s Review,
Ofsted also agreed to publish regular
monitoring reports, to provide
transparency about the progress made
towards achieving these objectives.
Today’s report is the first in a series that will
continue until all the actions have been
completed.
