School inspections 'to be harder'

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The new system will place more importance on pupils' attainment - their exam and test results.

But a teacher's leader warned the changes are like "telling athletes running a four minute mile that they need to do a mile-and-a-quarter in the same time".

Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert said: "We will be giving more credence to attainment in the way that we are assessing what's going on in schools."

As well as raw exam results, inspectors will also be looking more closely at the quality of work they see students completing during inspections.

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said: "I am extremely concerned that Ofsted is again raising the bar and making it harder to get good and outstanding grades."

The change in emphasis could mean that schools which currently have a "good" or "outstanding" rating, but low overall exam results, see their rating drop in their next inspection.

Dr Dunford added: "The increased emphasis on raw results will make it more difficult for schools in challenging circumstances. Ofsted inspection has always been disproportionately stacked against these schools and this will make their tough job even harder."

The revised Ofsted framework, which governs how schools are inspected, will be introduced from this September. Under the new system, schools which are judged to be good or outstanding will only be inspected every five years. They will be given a data-based interim assessment after three years, providing a summary of what the school has achieved.

Schools in special measures, or those given a notice to improve, will face no-notice monitoring visits, while about 40% of satisfactory schools will also get no-notice inspections.