Ofsted Board minutes: 27 June 2024
Updated 24 October 2024
Applies to England
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Present
Christine Ryan (Chair)
Martyn Oliver (HMCI)
David Meyer
Jon Yates
Jo Moran
Frank Young
Hamid Patel
Laura Wyld
Martin Spencer
Felicity Gillespie
Carole Stott
Executive attendance
Matthew Coffey (Deputy HMCI)
Louise Grainger (Director, Finance, Planning and Commercial)
Alex Jones (Director, Insights and Research)
Lee Owston (National Director, Education)
Yvette Stanley (National Director, Regulation and Social Care)
Observer
Juliet Chua (meeting items: welcome, minutes, matters arising and actions log, HMCI update, ARA and Annual Report of the ARAC and finance update)
Lorna Howarth (meeting items: strategic risk report and Big Listen update) (Department for Education (DfE))
Dame Christine Gilbert (Independent Reviewer) (meeting items: welcome, minutes, matters arising and actions log, HMCI update, ARA and Annual report of the ARAC, finance update and strategic risk report)
Also in attendance
Head of Private Office and Corporate Governance (all items)
Head of Strategic Priorities (meeting item: Big Listen update)
Head of Strategy Delivery (meeting item: strategic risk report)
Executive support
Board Secretary
Strategy and Engagement Co-ordinator
Status
Approved at the Board meeting on 19 September 2024.
Welcome, apologies and declarations of interest
Apologies were received from Chris Hanvey and Rory Gribbell.
Laura Wyld declared that her service as an independent panel member for the recruitment of non-executive directors at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, was currently frozen due to the upcoming election.
Minutes, matters arising and actions log
The minutes of the last board meeting were agreed as a correct record, with one amendment to the list of attendees.
No matters arising.
Three actions remain open.
Action: HMCI and Director, Strategy and Engagement to provide an update at the September meeting on the progress of work on the scheme of delegation.
Action: Board secretary to confirm dates to end of first quarter following the meeting.
HMCI update
The board received an update on all areas of Ofsted’s work since the last board meeting and priorities for the coming months. Topics included:
- achievements of HMCI’s first 100 days in post
- the Big Listen
- plans for delivery of organisational priorities for the next academic year
- conclusions of the Joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection model report
Board members requested a more detailed briefing on the report regarding oversight of children’s homes and proposals to inspect jointly with the CQC. This should include contextual background information.
Action: National Director, Regulation and Social Care to deliver an online webinar and supporting briefing for board before the next board meeting.
Action: Board chair to consider ways to further develop board expertise in social care.
Annual report and accounts and Annual report of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)
The Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee provided a verbal update to the board on the activities of the committee this year. The board approved the committee’s annual report.
The board noted that the ARAC had scrutinised the Annual report and accounts (ARA) at a session on 14 May and recommended that the board approve and recommend that HMCI certify the ARA. The board noted that board members’ comments had been incorporated into the draft ARA.
This year, the Head of Internal Audit gave a ‘moderate’ opinion, stating that overall Ofsted’s framework of governance, risk management and control was largely adequate and effective. However, this ‘moderate’ opinion reflects the impact of external factors, such as the significant criticism of the education inspection system and adverse media coverage that Ofsted has received in the past year, in addition to an assessment of Ofsted’s internal policies and procedures.
Finance update
Ofsted’s financial position at the end of period 1 was noted.
Delivery of priorities and budget pressures were discussed and further information on Ofsted’s IT strategy and development was requested.
Action: Director, Finance to provide details of income, outlining income streams and comparison with expected income, as part of future finance reports.
Action: Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Operations to prepare a deep dive briefing for the board on the digital strategy.
Strategic risk report
The board noted the status of the risks and mitigating actions on the strategic risk register.
The board endorsed the strategy team’s proposals to improve the clarity and commissioning process for updates to the risk register. They requested that delivery dates are also included on the register.
Action: HMCI and Director, Strategy and Engagement to review strategic risks and ensure that they are closely aligned with our spending review priorities and identify clearly where these priorities are mitigating actions against strategic risks.
Action: Head of Strategy Delivery to add to the strategic risk register a date by which any mitigating actions will be delivered, or at which progress will be next evaluated.
Big Listen update and next steps
The board received a presentation on the emerging findings from the public consultations of both adults and children, and on the research Ofsted commissioned externally to canvass views of the public, parents and carers, the sectors we inspect and regulate, as well as care-experienced young people (including some with experience of the justice system). This also included a timeline of when the analysis will be completed, and the response drafted and prepared for publication.
The board noted the good response rate to the consultation, in particular the numbers of children responding.
An early draft response to the Big Listen will be shared with the board in July for comment and challenge. Board feedback will be incorporated into the final draft of the response, and the Board Chair will sign off the final version for HMCI on behalf of the board. The board will then be sighted on the final version of the Big Listen response and all annexes prior to publication.
AOB
There was no other business.