Ofsted appoints adviser as part of ‘laser-like’ focus on inclusion
Ofsted has appointed a CEO from an academy trust specialising in alternative provision (AP) to be it’s new ‘external adviser for inclusion’. Mark Vickers is the CEO of Olive Academies, which runs five alternative provision academies in London and the east of England. He is also chair of The National MAT CEO Network for AP and SEND, a member of the DfE’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and AP improvement board, co-chair of Ofsted’s inclusion reference group and independent chair of Norfolk County Council’s executive board.
Announcing Mr Vicker’s appointment at the National SEND and Inclusion Conference in Nottingham last week, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Sir Maryn Oliver said the move would be part of a ‘laser-like focus on inclusion’ for the inspectorate. He said inclusion would be ‘at the very heart’ of Ofsted’s renewed approach to inspection, as a key criteria in its proposed report cards but also ‘threaded through every other inspection area’. Sir Martyn said he hoped this focus would ‘shift the dial’ nationally on attitudes to inclusion, drawing a comparison with the way attitudes to curriculum had changed when Ofsted made it a key focus. He also repeatedly stressed his belief that ‘If you get it right for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, you get it right for everyone.’
Commenting on his appointment Mr Vickers said: ‘It is a real honour to take on the role of external adviser for inclusion, through which I will build on the positive work that the external reference group has delivered over the past six months. I welcome the importance Ofsted places on inclusion, and I look forward to working Sir Martyn Oliver and his team to deliver on this priority, contributing to a future that ensures all children across England receive the highest standard of education, which they deserve and are entitled to.’
Lee Owston, Ofsted’s national director for education, said: ‘Our focus on inclusion will help ensure the changes we’re making to inspection work well for the SEND sector and, most importantly, for young people with SEND - as well as disadvantaged and vulnerable children. We have been working with Mark throughout the development of our renewed inspection framework. As the chair of our external reference group on inclusion, his extensive knowledge and leadership experience of the mainstream and specialist sectors has been invaluable.’
Last week Mr Owston sought to address concerns that the turn around between the conclusion of Ofsted’s consultation at the end of April, and the proposed roll out of the plans in November, is too short. Speaking at the Apprenticeship and Training Conference 2025 in Liverpool he said he believed there would be ‘enough time’, adding: ‘Obviously, I can’t answer that 100 per cent until I know what the complete outcome of the consultation looks like…… I’ll be listening to what the sentiment is across the full scale of responses and if we need to think again, then that’s something that we will do.’ He also left the door open to further consultation if required: ‘If we need to go back to another consultation that is something that we’ll do. We’ll see where we get to by the end of April, and then our plans are that if things can be tweaked and adjusted without going back to consultation, then we’ll launch this in November.’
One concern that has already been aired in the last week is that Ofsted’s plans don’t include any assessment of how representative a school’s intake is of pupils with SEND in its local area. This was raised with the Education Select Committee by Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion policy specialist at the ASCL union, during an evidence session on addressing the ‘SEND crisis’.
The Ofsted consultation, which runs until 28 April, can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/25nw254s