Mary Creagh MP Hosts Head of Ofsted in Coventry
Left to right: James McNeillie - West Midlands Regional Director of Ofsted, Leah James - Deputy CEO of Finham Park Multi Academy Trust, Sir Martyn Oliver - His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools for Ofsted, Mary Creagh - MP for Coventry East, and Mark Bailie - CEO and Executive Headteacher at Finham Park Multi Academy Trust.
Mary Creagh MP for Coventry East brought His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Ofsted, Sir Martyn Oliver to Finham Park today, hosting an exclusive briefing for Coventry headteachers and senior school leaders.
The event gave school leaders across Coventry a rare opportunity to hear directly from the head of Ofsted about the new inspection grading regime as it comes into force, and to put their questions to him in person.
Sir Martyn set out how the revised inspection framework will move away from single-word judgements and towards a more detailed report card model. He answered questions on how the changes will affect workload, timelines, and support for schools during the transition. Around 100 headteachers, senior leadership members, and heads of other education services across Coventry were invited.
Sir Martyn Oliver speaking to Headteachers
Sir Martyn Oliver, HM Chief Inspector of Ofsted, said:
"I'm grateful for the candour and thoughtfulness of the questions from the leaders and headteachers I met in Coventry. Moving away from a single headline judgement to a more detailed report card is one of the biggest changes we've made to inspection in years, and it's right that school leaders have the chance to ask questions about what it means for them. I left with a lot to reflect on, and I'm grateful to Mary, Mark Bailie, and Will Keddie for organising such a valuable session"
Mary Creagh, MP for Coventry East, said:
"It was a privilege to welcome my old friend Sir Martyn Oliver to Coventry and to give our brilliant headteachers and senior leaders the chance to hear directly about the changes to inspections. Our teachers work tirelessly for Coventry's children and young people, and I am always proud to support them. I was delighted by the turnout and the quality of the questions put to Sir Martyn. It's exactly the kind of direct engagement our schools deserve, and I'll keep working to make sure Coventry's voice is heard as these reforms are rolled out."
Mark Bailie, CEO and Executive Headteacher at Finham Park Multi Academy Trust, said:
“Finham Park Multi Academy Trust were delighted to welcome and host Sir Martyn Oliver (HMCI), on behalf of Coventry MP, Mary Creagh at Finham Park 2 this week. During his time at Ofsted, Sir Martyn has consistently made himself accessible to the profession and this is a wonderful opportunity for our colleague headteachers from across Coventry to hear him speak and to ask questions about the recently introduced Framework for Inspection.”
The event forms part of Mary Creagh's ongoing work to ensure the best education for every child in the city.