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clearer evaluation areas and the use of toolkits to guide inspectors should, in theory, also make inspections more transparent and predictable. Building on reforms But whilst the proposals are encouraging, there is now an opportunity to build on them further and ensure the system fully reflects the realities faced by schools in the most disadvantaged areas. The new evaluation areas all matter, but judged in isolation, they risk missing the bigger picture. Attendance, for example, is often shaped by housing insecurity or family hardship – factors usually far beyond the control of school staff. Achievement, as currently measured, relies heavily on standardised outcomes that do not reflect the starting points of pupils growing up in poverty. For schools in the most deprived communities, context is everything. A system that recognises the barriers children face, and values the progress they make in overcoming them, will not only provide fairer judgements but will T he recent proposals to reform Ofsted inspections mark a pivotal moment. For years, inspections have been under intense scrutiny, with legitimate questions raised about the pressure they place on school leaders and the fairness of the judgements they deliver. For those of us working closely with schools in the most deprived communities, it is clear that, while progress is being made, there remains important ground to cover. The move away from single-word judgements is undoubtedly welcomed – not just by the INEOS Forgotten 40 Project, but across the wider education sector. Schools are complex places, and reducing them to a label such as ‘good’ or ‘requires improvement’ has never done justice to the breadth of work headteachers and teachers undertake each day. The proposal to replace these labels with a new five-step report card system will give parents, communities and policymakers a more balanced picture of schools’ strengths and areas for improvement. The introduction of also support headteachers’ wellbeing and keep experienced leaders in post. This is crucial for ensuring they can continue to deliver their vital work. Recognising unseen work Schools serving deprived communities are often doing far more than delivering lessons. Every day, headteachers and their teams make sure children have eaten breakfast, have clean clothes to wear and a safe place to return home to. They are supporting families through crises, working hand in hand with social services, and stepping in where the system fails. These roles are often invisible in inspection frameworks, yet they are central to helping children learn. Without acknowledging them, we risk undervaluing schools that are doing extraordinary work to hold communities together. The pressures of inspection, layered on top of these responsibilities, also take a serious toll on the wellbeing of leaders and their willingness to remain in post. Reflecting reality This is why context must be built into the inspection framework. Progress should be valued alongside outcomes, so that schools helping children make extraordinary strides from difficult starting points receive the credit they deserve for that achievement. Equally, personal development, safeguarding and inclusion should be given comparable weight to academic data. None of this requires abandoning accountability. On the contrary, it means making accountability smarter, fairer and more effective. Inspections should capture the character of schools and how they go above and beyond to support their pupils and families, not simply reduce them to a checklist. Above all, inspections should provide constructive support as well as scrutiny, acting as a genuine critical friend. By recognising context as well as performance, and through closer partnership with school leaders, Ofsted can rebuild trust and create an inspection system that helps schools to thrive – ensuring every child, no matter their background, gets the fair shot they deserve. TP Brian Padgett is a former headteacher and Ofsted inspector, and is now a committee member at the INEOS Forgotten 40 Project. ineosforgotten40.com Brian Padgett Fairer inspections means considering communities... VO I C E S Ofsted’s new framework is still doing schools a disservice by ignoring their social context www.teachwire.net | 13