Ofsted: ‘vulnerable groups’ Paul Brooker HMI Regional director, East of England February 2017 Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Further education and skills Our remits Schools Further education and skills Social care Early years These are the three priorities that underpin our corporate plan and activities. Everything that we do in our teams should be clearly linked to at least one of these priorities. We have identified the key actions to achieve each of the strategic priorities. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

East of England regional priorities 2016/17 Secure high quality inspection and regulation Inspection quality will improve through bespoke training for inspectors and robust regular checks on all inspection activity and inspection reports. The regional support team will ensure the inspection workforce is efficiently deployed. Focus on literacy and numeracy skills Inspectors will focus on how well children and learners acquire literacy and numeracy skills: in early years across the curriculum in schools as part of 16-19 study programmes. Inspectors will evaluate how well foster carers and staff working in children’s homes, support children looked after to develop these skills. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

East of England regional priorities 2016/17 Improve outcomes for disadvantaged children and learners Inspectors will scrutinise and report on outcomes for disadvantaged children and learners, especially looked after children (children looked after) and care leavers. We will challenge responsible stakeholders including; local authority (LA) senior officers, Virtual School heads, leaders of schools and other providers, to have a greater impact on improving outcomes for children looked after and care leavers. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

East of England regional priorities 2016/17 Promote the safety and well-being of children and learners We will inspect and regulate all aspects of safeguarding. We will focus on safeguarding issues relating to: child sexual exploitation trafficking mental health radicalisation. Improve the proportion of good and better providers Inspectors will challenge and support leaders, managers and governors in driving improvement. We will raise our concerns about underperforming providers with key stakeholders including LA senior officers, multiple academy trusts, the regional schools commissioners and politicians. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Vulnerable groups Children looked after Some who speak English as an additional language Young carers or those affected by particular circumstances Disadvantaged pupils From Gypsy, Roma or Traveller backgrounds Pupils in danger of radicalisation and extremism Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs Asylum seekers Pupils who attend unregistered schools Have missed education e.g. due to poor attendance Have been excluded or at risk of exclusion The very young Those known to social services or who have a child protection plan Pupils with mental health conditions Pupils with medical needs Qualify for two-year-old funding Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Ofsted’s role? Inspection and regulation Engaging, challenging and holding key stakeholders to account. Improvement work Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Ofsted (SIF) inspection of children’s services: Cambridgeshire County Council, June 2014 Ofsted: vulnerable groups

School inspections Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Leadership and management Inspectors will report on the achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Inspectors will gather evidence about the use of the pupil premium in relation to the following key issues: the level of pupil premium funding received by the school in the current academic year and levels of funding received in previous academic years how leaders and governors have spent the pupil premium, their rationale for this spending and its intended impact any differences made to the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils as shown by outcomes data and inspection evidence. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Teaching, learning and assessment Inspectors will make a judgement on the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment by evaluating the extent to which: teachers and other staff have consistently high expectations of what each pupil can achieve, including most-able and disadvantaged pupils assessment information is used to plan appropriate teaching and learning strategies, including to identify pupils who are falling behind in their learning or who need additional support, enabling pupils to make good progress and achieve well. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inspectors evaluate the experience of particular individuals and groups, such as pupils for whom referrals have been made to the local authority (checking how the referral was made and the thoroughness of the follow-up), pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, children looked after, those with medical needs and those with mental health needs. Inspectors must look at a small sample of case studies about the experience of these pupils. If the school runs (on its own or in partnership with other schools) an off-site unit for pupils whose behaviour is poor or with low attendance, an inspector must visit the unit. Inspectors will assess safeguarding procedures, the quality of teaching and how effectively the unit helps to improve pupils’ behaviour, learning and attendance. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Outcomes Disadvantaged pupils Inspectors will take particular account of the progress made by disadvantaged pupils from their starting points, especially the most able. They will consider the progress made by the end of the key stage compared with that made nationally by other pupils with similar starting points and the extent to which any differences in this progress, and consequently in attainment, are diminishing. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs Inspectors will consider the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in relation to the progress of all pupils nationally with similar starting points. Inspectors will examine the impact of funded support for them on removing any differences in progress and attainment. The expectation is that the identification of special educational needs leads to additional or different arrangements being made and a consequent improvement in progress. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Inspectors will consider Leadership and management: how effectively leaders monitor the progress of groups of pupils to ensure that none falls behind and underachieves, and how effectively governors hold them to account for this. the effectiveness of leaders’ and governors’ work to raise awareness and keep pupils safe from the dangers of abuse, sexual exploitation, radicalisation and extremism and what the staff do when they suspect that pupils are vulnerable to these issues. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Inspectors will consider Teaching, learning and assessment: If teachers and other staff have consistently high expectations of what each pupil can achieve, including most-able and disadvantaged pupils. Outcomes: if the progress of pupils, who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is comparable in relation to the progress of all pupils nationally with similar starting points the impact of funded support for them on removing any differences in progress and attainment if published data for very small groups of children needs to be treated with caution. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

The importance of achievement of key groups Cromwell Community College February 2015 (RI): Attainment gaps between this (disadvantaged) group of pupils and others do not narrow during their time at the college. This means that disadvantaged pupils leave the college with, on average, a grade lower than other pupils in GCSE mathematics, and half a grade less in English. September 2016 (good): Leaders have built on the improvements noted during the Ofsted monitoring inspection in February 2016 by raising the achievement of the most disadvantaged pupils. Assessment information clearly shows that differences in the progress of disadvantaged pupils compared with others are diminishing. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

The importance of achievement of key groups Hinchingbrooke February 2014 (RI): On average, these (disadvantaged) students finished their GCSE studies more than one grade behind their peers. Effective support is narrowing these gaps for current students. April 2016 (good): The learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability have hitherto lagged behind that of their classmates. However, current school information and the evidence seen during the inspection confirm that these groups are now making significantly better progress because of the effective interventions employed by the school. Gaps in performance are narrowing, both for Year 11 pupils and particularly for younger pupils, who will have more time to benefit as recently introduced strategies are becoming embedded. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Children looked after: evidence from our focus EFs Autumn term 2016 (67 children looked after in 27 schools) Ofsted: vulnerable groups

How well do children looked after achieve at the end of key stage 4 (2015)? Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Positive findings All providers have an identified person accountable for achievement of children looked after and provide regular, good-quality careers advice. In almost all cases, children looked after feel well supported by their school. Children looked after said that they feel safe in school. None reported feeling isolated or subject to bullying. In 25/27 providers a leader for children looked after ensures the PPG is well targeted to meet pupils’ academic needs, as outlined in the PEP. Governing bodies are aware of the PPG rationale and keep an oversight of its expenditure. Three quarters of PEPs have short-term, long-term and aspirational achievement targets and involve the children looked after in their formulation. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Negative findings Only one fifth of PEPs are judged to be ‘high quality’, with a quarter simply a basic, up-to-date record of those children looked after’s progress and achievements. Oversight of children looked after is not always the responsibility of a senior member of staff. In only 25% of providers do the governors monitor closely the PPG spending for children looked after. Only one third of schools provide ‘successful counselling and guidance’ for children looked after. In one school, children did not feel adequately supported. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Recommendations Ensure that responsibility for the welfare and achievement of looked after children rests with a senior leader. Establish high quality PEPs for all Ensure that governors monitor closely the impact of pupil premium expenditure on children looked after Ensure that in all providers, children looked after have a key worker overseeing their PEP, who can provide them with help and counselling services when required. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Local area SEND inspections www. gov Local area SEND inspections www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-area-send-inspection-outcome-letters Ofsted: vulnerable groups

The background New duties regarding disability and special educational needs came into force in September 2014. It placed responsibility on the local area, which includes: the local authority, health commissioners, providers (all of the area’s early years settings, schools and the post 16 further education sector), to identify and meet the needs of disabled children and young people and those who have special educational needs aged 0−25. In July 2016, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a joint inspection of the local area of Hertfordshire to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing the disability and special educational needs reforms, as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Inspection arrangements All local areas will be inspected, with an inspection interval of up to five years. Inspection teams will include an HMI, a CQC inspector and a local authority inspector. Inspectors will review available national data as part of their preparation, including within area inspection outcomes from CQC and Ofsted. It is expected that local areas will know how effective they are and will be able to demonstrate this. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Hertfordshire LA SEND inspection: July 2016 Parental concerns: Support for parents and their children is inconsistent across the local area, because the joint commissioning of services for education, health and care is more advanced and effective in some areas delivering special provision locally (DSPLs) than others. Parents are very critical of the support for their children, the extent of co-production of plans and their influence on improving the local area’s work. ...the local area was not aware of the full extent of parental dissatisfaction. Parents are not convinced that the reforms have improved services for them or their children. Parents are very frustrated about the quality of information and guidance, the timeliness of responses to concerns, the fairness of access to specialist services and sufficient recognition of the breadth of their children’s and family’s needs. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Hertfordshire LA SEND inspection: July 2016 Strengths The local area embraced the government’s reforms and sensibly took the opportunity to coordinate the changes in the special educational needs and disability code of practice alongside its other work. Leaders of the two clinical commissioning groups provide strong leadership. The nine regional areas delivering special provision locally (DSPLs) are well established and starting to make a positive difference to the outcomes for children and young people. Ofsted: vulnerable groups

Ofsted on the web and on social media www.gov.uk/ofsted http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk www.linkedin.com/company/ofsted www.youtube.com/ofstednews www.slideshare.net/ofstednews www.twitter.com/ofstednews Ofsted: vulnerable groups