While we wait for the publication of the select committee minutes, here are the comments of the estimable Quentin Letts in The Daily Mail:
The Education Select Committee is holding an inquiry into the matter and its witnesses yesterday morning included Katharine Birbalsingh.
She is that London schoolmistress who, at the Tory conference, described the parlous state of some teaching in state schools - and promptly lost her job.
Miss Birbalsingh is dry gunpowder. Tremendous woman.
Flares up and explodes and destroys all in one.
She is the most exciting voice on education since Chris Woodhead.
Despite all the publicity which has suddenly hit her, she entered the room tentatively, as if not quite believing that MPs could be interested in what she had to say. She was giving evidence alongside four other people and kept raising her hand when she wished to say something. Gold star for good behaviour!
Nic Dakin (Lab, Scunthorpe) put it to her that Oftsed found that there was little to worry about as regards school discipline.
Miss Birbalsingh: 'In my experience, when Oftsed says something is good, it is not very good.
'The thousands of teachers I have spoken to say that bad behaviour is quite common.' ThE cause of this behaviour, she said, was the cosy job security of senior teachers who were never fired, even if utterly useless.
If a school was out of control, something was plainly wrong and the head teacher should be given a rocket.
Instead there was an 'excuse culture' where oikish behaviour by pupils always had some sociological explanation.
'We need to say, "this isn't good enough",' said Miss B. 'I want to work in a profession where, if as an individual you don't do your job, you lose it.
'We must have the highest expectation of behaviour.
'Instead, senior staff say they're looking at "community cohesion" and that nonsense.' Three hundred cheers for Miss Birbalsingh.
There is extensive corroboration of Ms Birbalsingh's comments in this report from The Daily Telegraph, which also indicates that Ofsted is still not doing its work properly. There is a similar report in The Guardian, here.