Majority of readers say ALL schools should be inspected, regardless of ratings

A massive majority in our poll wants regular Ofsted inspections for all schools, even if their previous inspection was "Outstanding".

An exemption, introduced in 2012 under which “outstanding” schools did not have to face routine Ofsted inspections, would be scrapped. This means schools of all grades will be given equal scrutiny. Is this necessary?

We asked: “Do you think all schools should be regularly inspected, regardless of their rating?”

At the time of writing 854 people had voted in our Facebook poll, with 94% saying yes, just 6% no.

Here are some reactions.

Kelly Cairns said: “Yes! My son’s old school hadn't been inspected for 10 years because it got outstanding. So much changes in that time. For the worse in this case. They failed the Ofsted visit when they finally did one last year.”

Angela Young agreed, saying: “Yes they need to be inspected as policies and expectations change within the time frame.”

Lynn Elliott said: “Some people base their decision about where to send their children on Ofsted reports. So to me, how can such an important decision be made with out of date information?”

Jane A Lawson said: “Yes and without prior notice so cracks cannot be covered up by head and management team! Worked in school for years and in latter years felt that prior notice gave the head time to cover her actions!”

Margaret Potts said: “They know when Ofsted are coming and can get prepared for it. Should be on the spot inspection to see which schools are up to standard.”