School inspectors to carry out ‘no-notice’ checks if Conservatives win general election

Boris Johnson makes the future of Ofsted an election issue – after Labour pledged to abolish the inspectorate

School inspectors will carry out “no notice” checks if the Conservatives win the general election, as Boris Johnson makes the future of Ofsted an election issue.

Labour has pledged to abolish the inspectorate, blaming it for “high levels of teacher workload and stress” which is driving staff out of the profession.

But the prime minister will instead vow to give Ofsted greater powers and higher funding, arguing that is the way to improve discipline and raise school standards.

The shake-up will involve reinstating inspections in schools rated outstanding – scrapped by Michael Gove, as education secretary – and scrapping “light touch” checks in good and outstanding schools.

And the Tories, if they win the election, will pilot scrapping the requirement for headteachers to be notified at lunchtime the day before inspectors will be calling.

“No-notice” inspections would ensure they “truly reflect the day-to-day experience in schools”, the party argued.

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, criticised Labour’s plans, saying: “Ofsted is an independent and trusted source of information for parents and teachers and their inspections help to raise standards in our schools.

“But Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour want to scrap Ofsted, meaning parents won’t have reliable information about the performance of their child’s school.

“Without independent inspections school standards would fall and our children would be less safe.”

Labour has given few clues about what would replace Ofsted, its manifesto saying only it would “transfer responsibility for inspections to a new body, designed to drive school improvement”.

It has talked about a “two-phase inspection system”, with the initial checks carried out by local councils and more in-depth scrutiny from inspectors “who will have experience and expertise in the areas they inspect”.

“This will ensure that parents receive the in-depth and reliable information that they need about our schools,” a document said in September.

The Conservative changes would introduce:

•  Longer inspections of three, instead of two, days – with the extra day focused on behaviour, bullying, sport and other “extra-curricular offers”.
• A trial of no-notice inspections, “so that parents know the Ofsted rating of their child’s school is a true reflection of its quality”.
• £10m additional funding for Ofsted, to train and employ more inspectors.
• Routine inspections in outstanding schools, ending the exemption to “give parents total confidence”.

On the campaign trail, the Liberal Democrats will promise to invest an extra £1bn a year to restore community policing, enabling forces to recruit 20,000 more police officers.

And Labour will launch a manifesto for every region of England “to deliver an investment blitz that will bring Britain back together”.