Emails contradict claims in inquiry that schools had no prior notification of inspection visits Emails expose how schools knew inspectors were coming

This article is the subject of a legal complaint made on behalf of Inspiration Trust and Dame Rachel de Souza.

UPDATE On 27 January 2015 Ofsted published a review into alleged inspection irregularities at three academy schools in Norfolk. The reviewer, Julian Gizzi, has concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, no one associated with any of the three schools in question received more than the requisite half a day’s notice of the date of their inspection. The full report is available here.



Ofsted is facing calls for an independent investigation into allegations that a superhead praised by the government for producing schools that “outperform the rest” of the state sector had advance notice of Ofsted inspection dates.

Last month an internal inquiry by Ofsted into the claims involving Dame Rachel de Souza, made by this newspaper in August, criticised the watchdog’s practices in the east of England, where the schools are based, but said it found no evidence of prior notification.

Today the Observer publishes evidence, including a string of emails, that contradict the claims in Ofsted’s inquiry that the schools, while highly prepared at the time of inspections, had merely benefited from good guesswork.

Emails sent by De Souza, chief executive of the Inspiration Trust, whom former education secretary Michael Gove once said he would like to clone “23,000 times”, provide, along with testimonies from sources close to the schools, compelling evidence of advance knowledge.

■ In one group email to staff, De Souza said of an Ofsted visit to Ormiston Victory Academy, in Norwich, about which she should have had just half a day’s notice: “Only three weeks or so till Ofsted due at Victory too! Let’s keep focused.”

■ On a Saturday three days before the same inspection in May 2013, De Souza wrote to staff: “The last update on the [school] website was 8th May. Can you get it going with lots of news. Inspectors will probably look Monday!! It’s the first thing they look at.”

■ An email sent by a senior figure at Ofsted to De Souza suggested she had discussions with the regulator about the timing of an inspection in one of her schools, apparently so that it would not clash with her work as a part-time inspector.

■ A principal at one of De Souza’s schools, sponsored by Tory donor Theodore Agnew’s Inspiration Trust, felt so confident of the likely date of an inspection, more than a week before he should have been informed, that he turned down an invitation to join the prime minister at a Downing Street reception partly because it clashed with Ofsted’s expected visit.

Today’s investigation also reveals questionable spending by De Souza’s trust, including the purchase of a £420 Vera Wang teaset, among an outlay of nearly £14,000 for office furniture.

Kevin Brennan, shadow minister for schools, said: “These are extraordinary findings. We need a transparent and forensic investigation to quickly establish all the facts.”

An Ofsted spokesman said the regulator stood by its report. A lawyer for De Souza said the allegations made by the Observer with regard to prior knowledge of Ofsted inspections were entirely false.

Emails expose how schools knew inspectors were coming