72 'outstanding' NE schools exempt from Ofsted Inspections for more than 10 years

4th October 2019

The North East has the greatest proportion of schools in England that haven’t been inspected by Ofsted in more than 10 years. 72 schools haven’t been inspected in over a decade because of the exemption brought in by the Government in 2012.

Nationally, 23% of ‘outstanding’ schools haven’t been inspected in over 10 years, due to the exemption. Of those outstanding schools which were reinspected, more than half lost the top grade.

In a recent announcement, the Department for Education pledged to remove the exemption and reintroduce inspections for outstanding schools. Given the high proportion of schools which have not been inspected, this could have a significant impact on the North East. However, lifting the exemption would require a bill to be passed in Parliament, which in the current political climate may take some time.

Calls for lifting the ban have been welcomed by a number of organisations including ASCL and the NAHT, to ensure high standards are maintained.