The inspectorate said it had 'no intention' of taking such a uniform approach in a report, A New Relationship with Schools, published jointly with the Department for Education and Skills. The report revealed its plans to overhaul the school inspection system in England and give teaching staff as little as two days' notice of an inspectors' visit.
The report said there would be shorter but more frequent inspections, and the reduced notification period was meant to allow inspectors 'a warts-and-all' view of a school. Inspectors would also assess the contribution of a school to the outcomes for children and young people set out in the Green Paper, Every Child Matters.
The report said, 'Of course it would be absurd to argue that the Foundation Stage in a small primary school can be inspected with the approach that works in a large further education college. There is no intention to seek a uniform approach or, even at this stage, a common inspection framework from nought to 19.'
Ofsted said three-quarters of respondents to its proposals, which were put out for consultation in February, had backed them - 63 per cent from schools and nine per cent from parents. Chief inspector of schools David Bell said, 'We shall introduce lighter-touch inspections, carried out every three years, which emphasise the importance of schools' self-assessment, and have much-reduced notice.
'Our proposals will allow parents access to much more up-to- date information on the quality of education offered by schools in their local area.'
But the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said that little or no notice of inspections would demoralise and demotivate teachers, while the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it was 'quite unacceptable'.
The NUT's head of education, John Bangs, said, 'There seems to be no reduction in the paperwork demanded, just less time for the schools to prepare it. This will force schools to refocus their attention on the inspection when the education of pupils should be at the centre of their work.'
David Hart, NAHT general secretary, said it 'supported the general thrust of the proposed changes to school inspections' and added, 'We believe strongly that shorter, sharper inspections, based upon self-evaluation by schools, is the right way forward.'
But Mr Hart said that while there was a 'dire need' to reduce the notice period, the proposals smacked of an attempt to 'catch the school unawares'.
He said, 'Ofsted remains both judge and jury when it comes to complaints about its inspection teams.'
The report revealed that seven independent inspectors had voiced concerns that plans to use only one inspector in small primary schools might lead to accusations of bias.
