House of Commons Select Committee - OFSTED Scrutinised at last!

House of Commons Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families re Ofsted Management

The Children, Schools and Families Committee will be taking formal oral evidence from Ofsted on Wednesday 14 May 2008, from 9.30 a.m. in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House. The Committee welcomes written submissions regarding the work of Ofsted, which should arrive by 5pm on Thursday 1 May 2008. These submissions assist the Committee in preparing for the meeting with the Chief Inspector, and may be published alongside the transcript of the meeting. The session will be the Committee's second meeting with Christine Gilbert since the Committee was formed on 8 November 2007.

London UNISON is currently in the process of submitting documentary evidence to the Select Committee, dealing with management styles that our members have been experiencing, over the last 18 months. Whilst we are unable to publish the full submission at this early stage, we can highlight some of the issues that we have dealt with. These include:

· result of London UNISON's confidential survey
· suspension of members of staff, without warning, for 'cutting and pasting'
· unecessary monies being spent from the public purse, as the result of the many hearings held
· bullying and harassment of staff within the Southern Division - which continues - despite the bland assurances and promises given in the past on this topic to the previous Select Committee hearings.
· the number of cases that end up at the Employment Tribunals as a result of the abject failure of the Ofsted internal management structures to resolve what were initially internal grievances.
· When such cases are lodged, Ofsted fund this fully from the public purse.
· On at least 4 separate occasions within the last 18 months, formal grievances have been lodged by Ofsted staff within the Southern Division, relating to the serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. This includes Ofsted advising UNISON that their internal computer security system could not identify the individuals who had breached the Act by putting information on the shared drive. Notwithstanding the intervention of the Information Commissioners Office and following the assurances being provided by Ofsted, further complaints have been lodged since November 2007.
· Ofsted's 'gung ho' attitude when taking steps to suspend individuals on the flimsiest of evidence .
· Highlighting issues raised in the BBC's Whistleblower programme

The Llink to the Select Committee Website is here: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/csf/csfpn020408.cfm
Watch this space for further developments................................