Ofsted: Make good on pay promises

Ofsted staff deserve better: better compensation, and better working conditions. Both of these can only be achieved through an increase of pay. It's time Ofsted made good on their promise to fight for their staff.

Ofsted pay fails to keep pace in the wider marketplace for leaders in the education and social care sector. This in turn leads to chronic understaffing (as recorded in both NAO and PAC reports) and overwork for those in post.

Last year Ofsted promised a business case for pay flexibility in 2019, but it has backtracked on that commitment. The 2019 pay remit outlines a 1% increase on pay bill with an additional 1% available where departmental budgets allow. This means that, in the best case scenario, Ofsted staff will receive a below-inflation 2% rise.

Other government employers, including HMRC, Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office, Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade, and Government Legal Department have signalled they value their staff by submitting a business case for pay flexibility. Ofsted need to do the same.

This petition calls on Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to prioritise Ofsted's hard-working, dedicated staff and submit a business case for pay in 2019