Ofsted - major public sector homeworking

John Carvel and Lucy Ward report in The Guardian about the enlargement of Ofsted's role to oversee children's social care and adult learning provision as well as schools. "Aside from the promised improved effectiveness and coordination of inspection, the super-inspectorate also breaks new ground as an employer," they write. "The merger will see a significant increase in homeworking, with the children's services inspection team - those formerly within CSCI - all abandoning their bases in big offices to work from home. Together with the childcare inspectors, who already are based at home, the change will make Ofsted one of the biggest users of homeworking in the public sector. For the inspectors there will be compensations: their package includes a computer and broadband connection, mobile phone, satellite navigation kits for inspection visits and subsidised gym membership."