Inspectors question language specialism

ASCL has received a letter from Christine Gilbert, head of Ofsted, responding to concerns raised by some ASCL members who have had their decision to go for specialist language status questioned by an inspector.

The letter states: "We are aware that those schools and colleges which have retained languages for all or for the large majority of pupils often have lower average GCSE results for languages.

"However, it would be inappropriate for any inspector to question the school's decision to gain specialist language status. There are many good reasons why a school should aim for modern language qualifications for all pupils."

She continues: "Thank you for alerting us to this, it is an issue that has not been raised before. We intend to monitor the situation carefully."

Schools that receive this kind of feedback from an Ofsted inspector are asked to contact the ASCL hotline on 0116 299 1122.

ASCL's inspection specialist, Keith Dennis, is available to support or work on behalf of individual schools and colleges that run into difficulty with Ofsted inspections.