The former head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, has criticised the education secretary and accused her of giving “a great deal of time and attention” to the teaching unions. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Ms Spielman claims “effective reforms are being reversed” – referring to potential changes to academy schools’ powers.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is set to change the rules around how academies pay their staff and the material they can teach, which critics say threatens their autonomy.
But the Department for Education (DfE) says its “landmark” reforms deliver on its mission to ensure all schools can attract and retain the best teachers.
In a piece covering academies, qualifications, the curriculum and Ofsted itself, the ex-chief of the organisation says the education secretary should reconsider the reforms in the bill “before the damage is done”.
Ms Spielman stepped down as head of Ofsted at the end of 2023. An inquiry into Ofsted was launched that year, after the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who died by suicide following an Ofsted inspection.
Ms Spielman accuses the education secretary of using “polished verbiage and jazz hands” when announcing policies, and claimed some policies had been “influenced by education union leaders and activists”.
While education unions have supported the government in some areas, they have also been critical in others, including on the proposals for new Ofsted report cards.
But Ms Spielman claimed the changes to Ofsted were being done “to please unions”, by making it “much less likely that inspection will detect weaknesses or convey a negative message”.
The schools bill, due to go before MPs again on Monday, includes measures to create a register of children who are not in school and allow local authorities to intervene if a child’s home environment is assessed as unsuitable or unsafe.
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