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Ofsted head wrong for implying Gove blocked snap inspections, says DfE Ofsted head admits he vetoed no-notice school inspections, not Gove
(about 2 hours later)
Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools and head of Ofsted, has been slapped down for claiming that Michael Gove changed his mind about imposing snap inspections after allegations about Islamic extremism in Birmingham schools. Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of Ofsted, has admitted he was responsible for abandoning plans to let inspectors visit schools unannounced, after initially appearing to blame the Tory education secretary, Michael Gove.
Sources at the Department for Education said on Tuesday it was wrong of Wilshaw to imply that the education secretary had earlier blocked his efforts to introduce unannounced inspections; their comments were a sign of continuing tensions over the sensitive issue. In an embarrassing retreat, Wilshaw acknowledged on Tuesday it was Ofsted, not the Department for Education, which decided to withdraw the idea in 2012 following objections from teachers.
It comes just days after Gove's and home secretary Theresa May's offices exchanged blows over whose department was to blame for failing to do enough to counter Islamic extremism before a report into practices in 21 schools in the city was published. The row has undermined common ground between Gove and Wilshaw, who agreed that routine no-notice inspections might be necessary following Ofsted's findings of a culture of "fear and intimidation" in some schools. Ofsted recommended unannounced visits by inspectors after an investigation into allegations of a "Trojan horse" plot involving infiltration of schools by Muslim hardliners.
After months of investigating allegations of a so-called Trojan horse plot involving infiltration by Islamic hardliners, Ofsted said on Monday that it found a culture of "fear and intimidation" in some Birmingham schools. It recommended more no-notice inspections and mandatory training of school governors. Despite initially appearing united on the idea, Wilshaw suggested on Monday night that Gove was the one who had changed his mind about implementing the policy in 2012. Government sources responded immediately that Wilshaw was wrong and later released a timeline showing Gove's repeated statements in favour of the policy.
Gove responded by announcing that teachers would get less warning of inspections and that all 20,000 primary schools nationwide would have to "promote British values". The government has not yet announced the exact definition of such values, but David Cameron said he wanted respect for institutions and a belief in personal and social responsibility to be "inculcated into the curriculum". A Department for Education spokesman said: "The chief inspector [has] confirmed that the education secretary did not ask Ofsted to halt its plans for no-notice inspections in 2012. Ofsted took the decision after considering the response to their consultation.
Speaking in Sweden at a meeting with EU leaders, the prime minister said the changes would win the overwhelming support of the population, including recent immigrants. "The secretary of state yesterday commissioned the chief inspector to examine the practicalities of extending the use of no-notice inspections, so that any school can expect an unannounced visit. Both look forward to working together to implementing this important reform."
In a statement transmitted simultaneously with the DfE's, Wilshaw admitted that it was he and not Gove who was behind the decision to veto no-notice inspections in 2012.
"When I first became chief inspector in early 2012, I set out plans to introduce no-notice inspections for all schools as part of a wider package of reforms to improve the inspection system," Wilshaw said.
"As a result of representations I received from headteachers and others during the consultation, I decided to move instead from two days' notice to much shorter half-day notice inspections from September 2012. I recognise that the secretary of state's commitment to this principle is also long standing."
It is the second major battle Gove has had with Wilshaw, after a previous falling out over the education secretary's decision to replace Sally Morgan as the watchdog's chairman.
It also comes just days after Gove's and home secretary Theresa May's offices exchanged blows over whose department was to blame for failing to do enough to counter Islamic extremism before Ofsted's report into practices in 21 Birmingham schools was published on Monday.
Following the review, Gove announced all 20,000 primary schools nationwide would have to "promote British values". The government has not yet announced the exact definition, but David Cameron has said he wants this to include respect for institutions and a belief in personal and social responsibility.
Speaking in Sweden at a meeting with EU leaders earlier on Tuesday, the prime minister said the changes would win the overwhelming support of the population, including recent immigrants.
"I would say: freedom, tolerance, respect for the rule of law, belief in personal and social responsibility and respect for British institutions," he said. "Those are the sorts of things I would hope would be inculcated into the curriculum in any school in Britain, whether it was a private school, state school, faith-based school, free school, academy or anything else.""I would say: freedom, tolerance, respect for the rule of law, belief in personal and social responsibility and respect for British institutions," he said. "Those are the sorts of things I would hope would be inculcated into the curriculum in any school in Britain, whether it was a private school, state school, faith-based school, free school, academy or anything else."
Cameron added: "I think what Michael Gove has said is important and I think he will have the overwhelming support of everybody in Britain, including people that have come to settle in Britain and make their home in Britain."Cameron added: "I think what Michael Gove has said is important and I think he will have the overwhelming support of everybody in Britain, including people that have come to settle in Britain and make their home in Britain."
However, in a further area of tension, Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, said he now wanted to make sure pupils in all schools – including the semi-independent academies and Gove's free schools – were taught a core curriculum to guarantee a certain standard of education.However, in a further area of tension, Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, said he now wanted to make sure pupils in all schools – including the semi-independent academies and Gove's free schools – were taught a core curriculum to guarantee a certain standard of education.
He told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "I think in many ways, we need to look at this more widely because I think many people will be surprised to know that some of these schools, while they were under a duty to deliver a balanced curriculum, as Michael Wilshaw pointed out in his report, they're not under any obligation to actually teach anything from the national curriculum whatsoever."He told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "I think in many ways, we need to look at this more widely because I think many people will be surprised to know that some of these schools, while they were under a duty to deliver a balanced curriculum, as Michael Wilshaw pointed out in his report, they're not under any obligation to actually teach anything from the national curriculum whatsoever."
He said he would also like to put stop unqualified teachers working in schools, a move likely to be resisted by Gove, with whom he has clashed in the past.He said he would also like to put stop unqualified teachers working in schools, a move likely to be resisted by Gove, with whom he has clashed in the past.
Labour said Gove's latest spat with Wilshaw, following last week's rows with May and differences with Clegg, showed the education secretary was "continuing to try to shift the blame from himself and distract [attention] from the fact that his department was warned about the failings in Birmingham four years ago". The Ofsted report had found an atmosphere of intimidation in 21 Birmingham secular schools, a narrow, faith-based ideology, manipulation of staff appointments and inappropriate use of school funds.
"Instead of clearing up his mess, he is playing politics with our children's education," said Kevin Brennan, the shadow schools minister. It also said 10 of the schools needed improvement relating to the "Trojan horse" allegations, five were placed in special measures and the rest were cleared. Several school governors face being barred from holding office. Gove told MPs: "The overwhelming majority of British Muslim parents want their children to grow up in schools that open doors rather than close minds. It is on their behalf that we have to act."
The controversy over inspections started after Wilshaw told BBC's Newsnight that he called for unannounced inspections two years ago when he first joined Ofsted. "I called for it and it's been rolled back, but we need to do it now for some schools," he said.
Wilshaw also said he believed Gove had changed his mind on no-notice inspections. "He said we need to look at this and we need to listen to what headteachers are saying about needing to be in the school prior to inspection, so that they can have a preliminary dialogue with the inspectors about how the inspection should be conducted. So we've pulled back on that and now they just have a few hours. We had a robust discussion about it and I'm really pleased that minds have been changed."
The education secretary announced the change in the inspection regime after Ofsted found an atmosphere of intimidation in 21 Birmingham secular schools, a narrow, faith-based ideology, manipulation of staff appointments and inappropriate use of school funds.
Ofsted found 10 of the schools needed improvement relating to the "Trojan horse" allegations, five were placed in special measures and the rest were cleared. Several school governors face being barred from holding office. Gove told MPs: "The overwhelming majority of British Muslim parents want their children to grow up in schools that open doors rather than close minds. It is on their behalf that we have to act."
Education department officials said non-maintained schools were already required to respect British values, but all schools would now be required to promote those values. Ofsted would inspect schools to ensure compliance.Education department officials said non-maintained schools were already required to respect British values, but all schools would now be required to promote those values. Ofsted would inspect schools to ensure compliance.
The reports also raise issues for Ofsted, Birmingham city council, the Education Funding Agency and Department for Education officials who failed to inform Gove of a 2010 presentation to his department given by a former headteacher, Tim Boyes, about radical infiltration of Birmingham's schools.The reports also raise issues for Ofsted, Birmingham city council, the Education Funding Agency and Department for Education officials who failed to inform Gove of a 2010 presentation to his department given by a former headteacher, Tim Boyes, about radical infiltration of Birmingham's schools.
In Birmingham, Sir Albert Bore, the leader of the Labour-run council, said he was "very reassured" that Ofsted had not uncovered evidence of a coordinated plot or conspiracy to seize control of schools but said it was clear some governors and governing bodies had "failed in their duties" to pupils.In Birmingham, Sir Albert Bore, the leader of the Labour-run council, said he was "very reassured" that Ofsted had not uncovered evidence of a coordinated plot or conspiracy to seize control of schools but said it was clear some governors and governing bodies had "failed in their duties" to pupils.
Some of the schools have strongly rejected the criticism. Jahangir Akbar, the acting principal of Oldknow academy, one of the schools now rated inadequate, said: "I feel that it's a political witch-hunt. There is no extremism here; our children are safe. It is unfair that these allegations are being made against us. All my middle managers are female, the leadership team has female members. The majority of the staff are non-Muslim."Some of the schools have strongly rejected the criticism. Jahangir Akbar, the acting principal of Oldknow academy, one of the schools now rated inadequate, said: "I feel that it's a political witch-hunt. There is no extremism here; our children are safe. It is unfair that these allegations are being made against us. All my middle managers are female, the leadership team has female members. The majority of the staff are non-Muslim."