Commenting on remarks made by the Chief Inspector at the Festival of Education, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The mess Ofsted have got themselves into is entirely of Sir Martyn Oliver's making and it is disappointing that he has tried to pass the buck. He is wrong to claim that the profession demanded urgent reform, we demanded evidence-based reform that would solve the important negative consequences of the current inspection framework. Instead of listening, Ofsted rushed out ill-conceived proposals which were then met with predictable and almost universal opposition. Ofsted could have paused and reconsidered. Instead, Ofsted pressed on. Sir Martyn is right to say that he will be judged on Ofsted's delayed proposals and based on his track record it is unlikely to be positive. The NEU believes it is unreasonable to announce a new system in September and then expect schools to be inspected against it just two months later."