Ofsted’s apparent failings on Mossbourne inspection appear part of a pattern
Image: Alamy.
Education Uncovered investigations into six other schools repeatedly showed documentable concerns emerging, but with little acknowledgement of them in Ofsted’s published reports, or impact on their ratings.
Ofsted’s reporting on a school which has become the centre of a national debate on “no excuses” behaviour policies had serious weaknesses, the safeguarding probe into that school suggests. And investigations into a succession of academies by this website reveal that this may be part of a pattern.
The inspectorate’s most recent inspection of Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA) in Hackney, East London, in January 2023, found it outstanding in all categories.
However, Sir Alan Wood’s safeguarding review on the school, which was published last week and was prompted after some parents had raised concerns about their children’s experiences, offered troubling conclusions for the inspectorate, on two grounds.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 19 December 2025
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Another excellent piece of analysis Warwick. Are we at all surprised as you say about the polarisation of Ofsted under Spielman is pretty obvious - her very appointment was political as the select committee was overruled when she was appointed and it was obvious that her close links to Gove, Gibb and ideology were the reasons for her appointment rather than her (lack of) relevant experience. Also, the schools you have above are all led by those who are key proponents of the same ideology where the key factor is quantifiable results rather than any collateral danger to significant minorities of the children or the wider community. The cheerleaders of this ideology have shown time and again that they do not believe that children should have any agency or input into the process - they see education as a transmission, transactional process done TO the children by the adults and that children are there to be controlled and 'tamed'. We have comments such as, "schools have rules - get over it" and "I would always trust the teachers over the pupils" from key defenders of these processes and ongoing reductive comments about SEND and inclusion. We can only hope that the Mossbourne report will open some eyes in the DfE.
Agree with above comment. A very insightful analysis. Michaela’s inspection against the framework as it was, never seemed to fit. This suggests that some institutions have to be outstanding irrespective of the findings. In this case the narrowness of the curriculum would not usually be considered an effective quality education. Will the DfE’s eyes be opened? I think this is unlikely. Trusts and Schools are urged to look to the Consortium of School Trusts for guidance. They pull most strings. DfE guidance for example supports multi academy trusts. There are too many hyperlinks (often 100s) in documents for individual schools to make sense of. Central teams can understand the guidance and support schools with the documentation needed for Ofsted inspections. This may explain why the schools mentioned in your report did better in inspection even though independent evidence could reach other conclusions. I’m not sure this is the same as saying it’s about ‘who you know.’ There is though some need to understand how a chumocracy is now working in education. It would be good to explore this in more depth in the years ahead. Hopefully in the meantime, inspections under a new framework and a new lead inspector can ensure that it is a fair playing field for schools.
It’s your second footnote that’s glaringly obvious to so many of us who have worked in many schools, and have also found our own children damaged by mainstream one-size-fits-all/zero tolerance/broken windows theory/tough-love ideology “excellent results for many pupils can come at a price, for others” - I’d like to know if the DfE considers that an acceptable price to pay for those PISA results.