Heads are rolling in Haringey anyway in the wake of the death of Baby P, with two council leaders stepping down and head of children’s services Sharon Shoesmith fired.
This is at the behest of children’s secretary Ed Balls and Ofsted, the agency that seems to have led the remarkably swift inquiry.
Ofsted, better known for its role in examining and policing schools, was the agency that gave Ms Shoesmith and her team ‘three stars’ in a review in 2006 and then forgot all about it.
It now says it’s going to make unannounced spot checks on children’s departments in the future while desperately denying that any of this sad affair is its fault.
Ofsted boss Christine Gilbert was on the radio this morning reminding Today presenter James Naughtie and a no doubt disbelieving radio audience that it was someone’s job to “get underneath the data,” the weaselly expression used by another Ofsted executive Miriam Rosen on yesterday’s PM programme as she was politely torn apart by presenter Eddie Mair.
But, if the data is any use, why is it necessary to “get underneath” it? The point about data is that it guides you in the right direction. Clearly in this instance, and heaven knows how many others, it doesn’t.
When Ofsted came into being under the Tories it was rightly characterised as education’s version of the Spanish Inquisition with boss Chris Woodhead as Torquemada.
It’s cooled down since to the ridiculous point where it sends just one or two people into schools essentially to check that the heads have ticked the right boxes on the interminable Ofsted form.
This seems to have been exactly what happened in its review of Haringey children’s services in 2006.
If getting underneath the data means giving living, breathing social workers the time, freedom and authority to use their judgement then fine. But first some of this data and the requirement to service it needs to be dumped.
One’s tempted to add, dump Ofsted with it.
[Image Attribution: krishna_avanti_bhumi_pu ja]