Dear Sir Martyn,

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the launch of Ofsted’s ‘Big Listen’, and for your account of the work that you have undertaken in your first few months as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI).

In the first instance I would like to welcome your appointment to the role of HMCI.  I am glad to hear that you are committed to working openly and constructively with stakeholders to make changes to improve the way Ofsted works, and I hope that Ofsted will take positive steps to rebuild and strengthen public confidence.

I appreciate that the last year has been an extremely challenging time for the inspectorate, which has come under heightened public scrutiny following the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who was one of my constituents.

The news of Ruth’s death had a profound effect on our local community and also sparked a much-needed national conversation about the role of Ofsted and about school leaders’ and teachers’ wellbeing.  I have been working to support Ruth’s family, the school community, and all those who have been touched by this case to push for changes to the inspections process in the wake of this tragedy.

I am glad to note that Ofsted has accepted the findings in the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report and has stated that the inspectorate will be re-evaluating their internal policies and procedures to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.

I am also pleased that Ofsted is actively engaging with the Education Select Committee’s recent report and recommendations.  I understand that the inspectorate has already taken action in relation to a number of the committee’s recommendations, and that others are due to be explored further through the ‘Big Listen’ consultation process.

Although I am glad that Ofsted recognise that changes need to be made, I would like to see the inspectorate and the Department for Education go much further in relation to major areas of concern such as the use of single word judgements.  It is clear that these judgements do not do justice to schools, nor do they provide enough information for parents. The Education Select Committee’s report stated that the single-word judgement was one of the most strongly criticised issues in the evidence they received.  The Committee has subsequently recommended that the Department and Ofsted should work together to develop an alternative to the single-word judgement that better captures the complex nature of a school’s performance, and I hope that this recommendation will be carried out as a priority.

I will be sharing the details of Ofsted’s ‘Big Listen’ with our local community. I hope that the feedback that Ofsted receives will allow the inspectorate to reflect on further areas that are in need of improvement.

Yours sincerely,

Matt Rodda MP