At least five “lead inspectors” who are carrying out inspections on behalf of the U.K.’s Office of Standards in Education, Children’s Services, and Skills (OFSTED) do not have qualified teacher status, which is a requirement for state school teachers in England. According to a leaked e-mail, Tribal, a company that carries out inspections for OFSTED, currently uses five lead inspectors who are not qualified teachers.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “I don’t know how anyone who isn’t qualified could provide a meaningful assessment of the quality of teaching.”
A Tribal spokesperson said it she was aware of the five lead inspectors without qualified teacher status, which she explained represented less than half a per cent of the total freelance inspection pool.