New Clause 4 - Complaints Procedures
Education Bill [Lords]
11:15 am
Mrs Angela Watkinson (Shadow Minister, Education; Upminster, Conservative)
New clause 4 relates to England. New clause 7 is an identical clause that refers to complaints procedures in Wales.
The new clauses are designed to protect schools, head teachers and others involved in the inspection process from what they feel to be an unfair result. As we all know, occasionally, there is a clash of personalities between the management of the school and the Ofsted team. Head teachers of schools in my constituency have commented to me that their Ofsted inspectors were wonderful. They came in, they did not interfere with the school, they said hello and good morning to people. Unfortunately, some Ofsted team members do not have the interpersonal skills that smooth the passage of an inspection and put people at ease. The problem may be something as trivial as that. It may be a serious complaint or some dissatisfaction that arises from the inspection. The new clauses provide a mechanism for appeal against what the school may consider an unjustified or unfair outcome.