Ofsted School Inspection News
Key changes
More influence for the SLT - scope for school leaders to influence the final judgments during meetings with lead inspector!!!
Focus on Every Child Matters agenda - now more integrated providing the outline for the Outcomes section judgements.
Limiting judgements - certain areas given greater importance and can limit final 'overall' grades
limiting areas - Safeguarding, Equal opportunities and tackling discrimination, pupils achievement and enjoyment
Most Important !!!!!! Judgement: How well do pupils achieve and enjoy their learning?
The definition of achievement differs from that used in past section 5 arrangements.
Progress: this is the extent to which pupils have progressed in their learning given their starting points and capabilities
Attainment: this is the standard of academic attainment, typically shown by test and examination results
Achievement: this takes into account the standards of attainment reached by pupils and the progress they have made to reach those standards
Achievement judgements continue to impact on everything else, particularly final 'overall effectiveness' judgements.
Within the overall Achievement judgement the Attainment and Progress judgement combinations are complicated!
Example judgement criteria for a 'satisfactory' in Achievement section:
Achievement is likely to be satisfactory when:
attainment is average, above average or high and learning and progress are satisfactory
or
attainment is low but improving strongly and learning and progress are good. In exceptional cases, learning and progress may be
satisfactory but improving securely and quickly.
We have further explanation in School Centre for members.
****Latest News from the front-line****
It would appear that the new inspection framework is creating a much larger number of 'Satisfactory' schools and far less 'Good' schools. This is mainly due to the difficulty schools are having in getting a 'Good' grade in Pupil Achievement, section 2.4 in the SEF.
Editors comment: 'This would seem like political suicide for the government that will not be wanting to approach an election on the back of
increasing numbers of schools in measures.'
Many horror stories doing the rounds of schools being judged inadequate by 'letter of the law' inspectors because of clerical errors in Safeguarding documents. This has led to Ofsted boss, Christine Gilbert', going on television to assure schools that they will be given the opportunity to correct clerical errors!
Editors comment: 'Every scrap of data available tells us, and should tell Ofsted, that Schools are easily the safest place for children to be.
I suggest that whoever these inspectors are they should be taken out at dawn and shot!!!
If you are concerned about this area and haven't been given LEA guidance we have a brief 1 page guidance doc
March 2010 - first six months of Ofsted's new inspection regime - 100% increase in proportion of schools graded 'Inadequate'
and 50% reduction in schools graded 'Outstanding'.
Editors comment: 'The schools haven't changed, just the position of Ofsted's goalposts. This is surely the mathematics of the asylum.
We now have inspectors inspecting areas they have no expertise in, such as Early Years, and applying criteria that
they don't understand. There needs be an urgent review of the new inspection schedule. Contribute you voice on
the Community page in School Centre'
Our Inspection page within School Centre has all the inspection guidance documents you need