Like any football referee, Ofsted is bound to come in for severe criticism, and over the years it certainly has done. The damning report from the Education select committee, The Role and Performance of Ofsted, is likely to lead to significant structural and operational changes (see News, page 4).
Dame Clare Tickell had already weighed in last month, calling for an urgent review of the standards of the early years inspectorate in her Early Years Foundation Stage Review.
Few would disagree that Ofsted has grown into a huge and unwieldy beast, and many teaching unions and other bodies have welcomed the committee's conclusion that it should be split into two new organisations, one dealing with education and one with children's care.
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