HMCI commentary: Ofsted's strategy 2022 to 2027
HM Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman introduces Ofsted's new strategy.
I am delighted to introduce our new 5-year strategy, setting Ofsted’s direction from now until 2027.
As I write, both education and social care are under great pressure, grappling with the effects of the pandemic, lockdowns and restrictions on children and young people: their education, their social development, their physical and mental health, and their welfare. Ofsted’s role has never been more important, and we will continue to play our part in this recovery phase, working as always for children to raise standards and improve lives.
Over the last 5 years we have built strong foundations for the future. In 2019 we brought in a new education inspection framework that put greater emphasis on the substance of education – the curriculum. We have championed the view that high exam results are the product of a great education, not only an end in themselves. In children’s social care we have become more proactive in protecting the interests of our most vulnerable children and supporting high standards of care.
Each of us has only one childhood, and it shapes the rest of our lives. That’s why this strategy has a particular emphasis on giving all children the best possible start. Our work should help make sure a child’s earliest experience of education is as good as it can be. It should also help make sure that children who need extra help have the right support in place, both within and outside education.
Our work looks right across the education landscape, as well as children’s social care. We scrutinise services for our youngest citizens – from childminders and nurseries to children’s homes and adoption agencies. And we trace the impact of education through school and college, into apprenticeships and adult education.
Because of this unique position we collect significant amounts of data and intelligence.
Over the next 5 years we will continue to use this information, often augmented by further research, to make the case for change and improvement. We will use it to inform and equip policymakers; we hope providers will use it to inform their work; and, of course, we will use it to evaluate our own policies and practices.
This year marks our 30th anniversary. Thirty years of raising standards and improving lives. This strategy explains how we will continue our work on behalf of England’s children and learners – helping prepare each one for wherever their life may lead.