Will Ofsted reform into the correct body for music education?

In recent news, the Education Select Committee has called for Ofsted to be broken down into more specific areas. Earlier this year the Henley Review called for Ofsted to play a greater role in the provision of music education.

The general consensus amongst music educators was an agreement that there needs to be a stronger role of inspection, but there was considerable debate over whether Ofsted were the correct body. Criticisms were focused on the broad nature of Ofsted (specifically since the 2007 reform) and the fact that they are not capable of coping with the diverse and specified nature of music education. This reform may help to build a bridge between the two arguments. This latest report states that Ofsted have 'lost elements of specialism' and this needs to change.