Ofsted has missed nearly all internal inspection targets this year, its staff are less positive about working there and one in ten left, the watchdog’s annual report and accounts reveal.
The publication breaks down the inspectorate’s achievements, finances, and challenges for the 2024-25 academic year.
Here are the key takeaways…
1. Internal inspection targets missed
Ofsted missed its internal target of FE and skills inspections by 16 per cent – more than 150 providers – this year, its report shows.
The watchdog aimed to inspect 969 FE and skills providers but inspected 818.
The report said it missed its FE target because fewer apprenticeship and skills bootcamp providers opened or “stayed open long enough” to be inspected. This was contrary to the watchdog’s planning assumptions, so it carried out fewer new provider monitoring visits.
Elsewhere, Ofsted hit just 92 per cent of its state schools target due to pausing routine inspections between December 2023 and January 2024 so inspectors could undergo mental health awareness training in the wake of the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
This led to a shortfall of 417 (6 per cent) inspections at the end of 2023-24. These were then prioritised at the start of this academic year and added to 2024-25 targets.
In September, routine inspections were again paused while overall effectiveness grades were scrapped for schools, and another 341 inspections were unable to go ahead.
The revelation comes as the impending roll-out of the new education inspection framework is expected to hamper Ofsted’s inspection capacity in coming months.
The inspectorate has already announced there will be fewer inspections than usual in November and December, as inspections will initially be carried out only by the most senior and experienced inspectors.
There will also be no education inspections in the final week before the Christmas holiday, “to allow for further inspector training”.
2. ‘On track’ with enhanced FE inspections
Meanwhile, Ofsted said it was “currently on track” to inspecting all FE colleges, sixth-form colleges and designated institutions with an enhanced inspection “at least once” by July 2025.
The watchdog has carried out enhanced inspections of the three provider types since September 2022. They include a sub-judgment on how well providers are meeting skills needs.
“We are currently on track to complete this three-year undertaking. This year, we carried out 76 enhanced college inspections,” the report said.
3. Ofsted staff less positive about their work
The report also shows staff felt less positively about working for Ofsted this year.
Around 80 per cent of staff took part in the annual Civil Service People Survey last autumn.
Ofsted’s Employee Engagement Index score – which captures how staff feel about working in the department – was 64 per cent this year, down four percentage points from the previous year. The Civil Service benchmark score for this year is 65 per cent.
But sickness absence also increased this year. The average number of working days lost rose to 7.3 days, above Ofsted’s target of 6.8 days.
Ofsted says around one third (32 per cent) of absences are due to “stress, anxiety and other psychological conditions. Although this is lower than the Civil Service average, we will continue our efforts to reduce it,” the watchdog said.
4. Staff turnover still above target
Staff turnover also remains higher than the Civil Service target, at 10.9 per cent. The target number is not included, but the wider civil service turnover rate was 7.5 per cent last year.
However, Ofsted’s turnover has improved: it was 12.8 per cent in 2023-24.
A total of 113 inspectors left Ofsted across all of its remits in 2024-25, the report states.
Turnover varies between remits and grades, but “recruitment and retention of talent continue to be priorities”, it adds.
5. ‘Catalyst’ scheme to boost diversity
More than 80 per cent of Ofsted employees are white, while just 13 per cent are from an ethnic minority. This is around the same as last year.
Meanwhile 69 per cent of employees identify as female, 8 per cent identify as LGBT, and 8 per cent are disabled.
Ofsted says the Ofsted Academy is “ready to launch” a new initiative it calls “Catalyst”, to “improve our recruitment of underrepresented groups”. FE Week has approached Ofsted for more details.
6. 4 in 10 of college complaints upheld
Of the 830 inspections and other activities carried out in FE skills in 2024-25, 2 per cent (18) resulted in a complaint. This is less than the previous year, when 5 per cent (39) resulted in a complaint.
Of the 24 FE complaints closed this year, at least one aspect was upheld in 42 per cent of cases. This is the same proportion as the previous year.
In five other cases, the complaint investigation meant FE inspections were deemed “incomplete”. There were no cases in FE where the overall judgement was changed.
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