According to a report published by the Commons Education Select Committee, the main school watchdog, Ofsted, has grown too big and inefficient to effectively carry out its job, The Independent reports. The report finds that Ofsted, which relies mostly on inspections to perform its duties, and its staff of inspectors, do not have sufficient recent experience in schools, nurseries and colleges.

The panel recommended that Ofsted be broken up into smaller sub-agencies that would specialize in just one of the areas Ofsted now oversees among which are:

…state and independent schools; childminders; children’s services and social care as well as adoption and fostering agencies; further education colleges; teacher training and prison learning.

The committee members have found that childcare workers who participate in the agency’s voluntary registration scheme for over-eight child-minders don’t take their registration seriously, often only “tick[ing] a series of boxes” to prove that they have met the required standards. Some even produce false documentation in support of their applications in order to hide that they’re working in the country illegally.

The report also backs an increase in the number of “no-notice” school inspections, an idea introduced earlier in the year by the Education Secretary Michael Gove.

The committee’s additional recommendations include:

• Ofsted should be split into two inspectorates – one for education and one for children’s services.
• The Government should appoint a Chief Education Officer and Chief Children’s Services Officer to reflect this.
• Head teachers and senior local authority personnel should routinely be seconded to Ofsted to give inspection teams more up-to-date knowledge of settings.
• Inspectors should be able to deliver a “stuck” verdict on schools to show they are satisfactory but have failed to improve.
• Most inspections in future should be unannounced, although the committee recognise childminders should be given notice to avoid them going out to the park.