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Schools, right across the country have been transformed over the last twelve years. Exam results are up, there are more teachers and teaching assistants and school buildings have been revamped.

In my Dover and Deal constituency, we are on the brink of school mergers and restructuring schemes which are expected to see the emergence of at least two new academies which will be funded by the Government’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ program and provide an exciting new beginning for hundred’s school children.

It’s difficult to go into any of my local schools these days without hearing the head and the staff proudly proclaim all the improvements that have been made and point out all the new equipment that’s in place – but all is not well in the current Ofsted school assessment system, especially in Kent and particularly in Dover and Deal.

I was pleased to accept the principles of the testing and assessment programs during the early days of the Ofsted regime but as the years have passed by the remit of the organisation has been widened, the use of outside testing agencies has increased and the whole system is now becoming so complex and unwieldy that it can no longer be described as a coherent and rational system.

I’ve come to this opinion over recent years drawing from the discussions I’ve had when visiting local schools and the exchanges I’ve had with colleagues but last week this view was endorsed by the House of Commons Schools Select Committee which held an in depth inquiry into the system.

There are lots of anecdotal stories doing the rounds which talk of some Ofsted inspectors making the most irrational decisions and some teachers I’ve talked to are convinced that many of today’s inspectors have made their decisions about a particular school before they pass through the doors.

I’m all for accountability but the current system seems to be collapsing under its own weight and it’s unfairly stigmatising schools which are making great strides forward but failing to meet the narrowly proscribed bench marks of Ofsted. This undermines improving schools, demoralises staff and discourages the efforts of pupils.

In Kent, where the Council cling on to the old selective education system the problem is worse and in Dover where double selection is in place it’s aggravated further because as much as 40% of the most academically able pupils are creamed off to the grammar schools. How can the rest of our schools, some of which are in areas of high deprivation be expected to perform to Ofted’s expectations under these circumstances ?

The Select Committee’s report concluded : "The government should place more faith in the professionalism of teachers and should support them with a simplified accountability and improvement system which challenges and encourages good practice rather than stigmatising and undermining those who are struggling”

I wholly support this view. Let’s hope Ministers act on the Committee’s recommendations before one or more of our own local schools is wrongly labelled as a failing school or even worse – unjustly threatened with closure.