Meeting Ofsted’s inspection criteria is important, but Catholic schools must also develop an education that goes beyond what simply can be measured and embraces the formation of the whole person

many heads and those involved in governance view inspection with a certain degree of trepidation, despite the fact that the 2016 Catholic Education Service data on the health of Catholic schooling shows Catholic schools outperforming the national average at KS2 and GCSE by six percentage points.

Passion, commitment and determination, not to mention a high level of professionalism and expertise, are easily identifiable in most of our head teachers and those involved in the governance of Catholic schools. The Catholic Church has managed its schools for more than a century during which inspection and accountability for the quality of their education has always played a part.

What is at risk of being eroded, if indeed it was ever fully grasped, is the understanding of the true purpose and meaning of Catholic education and what it should actually be accountable for. Since the introduction of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) under the Education (Schools) Act 1992, as part of the extensive reform and centralisation of the school system begun by the Education Reform Act 1988, the situation has become increasingly confused.

The introduction of the National Curriculum, extensive testing in schools and the publication of league tables, all of which have been subjected to constant changes and challenges over nearly two decades, has resulted in many of those in leadership roles resorting to survival mode.