Ofsted should be congratulated for admitting that it got it wrong with the wording of important extracts of its report on Yeovil College.
No individual or organisation is flawless by any means, and while Elton John may have said in his famous song that ‘sorry seems to be the hardest word’ – it shouldn’t be.
Questions need to be asked though about the complaints process, if publication of reports such as this one go ahead before a decision has been made on whether the content is indeed inaccurate and insulting.
This is wrong.
It would save both the inspectorate future embarrassment and providers unwarranted upset if the rules were changed.
I sympathise with the view that reports should be published as soon as possible after inspection.
They shouldn’t be delayed unduly while concerns are considered.
But this shouldn’t be a problem, so long as there’s a strict time limit on the appeals process.
Your thoughts