Chief inspector Amanda Spielman has apologised after Ofsted failed to uncover ‘very serious' abuse and neglect at three residential settings in Doncaster.

A national review last year demanded urgent action from Ofsted to ensure all children with complex needs and disabilities living in similar children's homes were ‘safe and well' after finding a number of complaints had been made to the inspectorate dating back to 2015.

Giving evidence to the Education Committee today, Ms Spielman said the ‘system clearly didn't work as well as it should' and there were ‘lessons for all the agencies involved, including Ofsted'.

She admitted suspending inspections during the pandemic had contributed to Ofsted failing to acquire an ‘aggregate picture' and realise there was ‘something more deeply wrong'.

Ms Spielman added: ‘We could and should have put together that emerging pattern a few months earlier than we did.

‘It's also a clear example of a case where management integrity had gone – there was deliberate concealment of substantial amounts of information.

‘There was a great deal of information we should have had that was withheld and would have changed our risk assessment.'

The committee heard the current system made it difficult to hold to account and drive improvements in homes run by groups that controlled numerous facilities and services.

Ofsted's national director for social care, Yvette Stanley, said ‘ownership is opaque at best' and that often it was only when an inspector on the ground ‘recognises a name' that inspectors could track down those responsible.

She continued: ‘We try and join those dots.

'It's just that our technical system and the regulations don't make that easy for us.

'It does worry us that we can't make the connections that we need to.'

Ms Spielman added: ‘We have out of date care standards.

'Regulations are a poor fit with the provider landscape.

'We don't have a regulatory system that contemplates the world as it now operates.'