Ofsted update 2018

There has been much in the news about the changes in the OFSTED Inspection Framework for 2019. The HEP team have gathered some key headlines and information. October 2018 HEP members can use their ‘The Key’ subscription to keep ahead of the news and current thinking

Ofsted Update In line with Ofsted's 5-year strategy, it is likely that there will be some changes to the format of inspections, intended to improve their validity and reliability. Ofsted has released nothing concrete on this yet, but speculation currently revolves around.. . The 'Outstanding' grade is here to stay The current 4-point grading system will remain in place, despite widespread rumours that Ofsted would move to a pass/fail system or get rid of grades altogether. Amanda Spielman announced this in her speech at the Festival of Education in June. Ofsted will keep the grading system under "regular review", but headteachers, teachers and parents widely prefer the 4-point grading system.  More frequent inspections for Outstanding schools It is possible that 'outstanding' schools will no longer be exempt from routine inspections, following a report from the National Audit Office which identified many schools that hadn't been inspected in more than 10 years. Ofsted is actively lobbying the DfE to change the current system and include 'outstanding' schools in the normal cycle, according to reports from the BBC, The Guardian and TES 3

Guiding principals The development of the new inspection framework centres around 3 key principles, according to a June 2018 speech given by Amanda Spielman. These are: Making inspections about more than a grade, including focusing more on what makes a school distinctive. Using data appropriately. This means greater emphasis on what pupils know, how teachers know they know it, and what teachers do when they don’t. Not penalising schools for being unable to address wider issues of society, such as obesity and knife crime. The framework is therefore unlikely to be broadened in this way. Interesting article in Schools Week October 18.

A proposed replacement to the current inspection judgements: Quality of education Personal development Behaviour and attitudes Schools’ leadership and management The existing 'overall effectiveness' judgement and 4-point grading scale will remain.

Curriculum – Significant focus The curriculum is a significant consideration when assessing a school's effectiveness. However, there is no standalone judgement as yet. The TES reported that Ofsted is planning to combine the current teaching, learning and assessment rating with the pupil outcomes grade to create a new "quality of education" measure. In April 2018, Ofsted National Director of Education, Sean Harford, wrote about developing "an even sharper focus on the curriculum" for the 2019 inspection framework.  Whilst these are proposals for the 2019 Inspection framework, we are seeing inspectors focus on this in recent inspections 6

So what is this likely to mean? The current view is that there is not a "common language" for curriculum. To help address this, Ofsted inspectors are testing a new working definition of 'curriculum': …a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and understanding to be gained at each stage (intent) … … translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation) … … evaluating what knowledge and understanding pupils have gained against expectations (impact) … In practice, this means being clear on your answers to 3 key questions: 1.What are you trying to achieve through your curriculum? (Intent) 2.How is your curriculum being delivered? (Implementation) 3.What difference is your curriculum making? (Impact)

What does this mean for inspections? Inspectors will be looking for: Too much of a focus on English and Maths at KS2, to the detriment of the wider curriculum The range of subjects the school has available, particularly for disadvantaged groups and pupils with low attainment  In-depth knowledge of the curriculum 'whys' and 'hows' (seek to clarify woolly terms such as 'enrichment' and 'skills’) Whether the school's stated 'intent' is translating into practice  Again, whilst this is being tabled for 2019 we are seeing an increasing focus on the curriculum

These are also good questions for Governors to have answers to To think about …. Ask: How does the curriculum cater for disadvantaged groups? How are you ensuring that these pupils are not 'shut out’ ? Is curriculum development and design a priority in the school? Do staff feel confident that they have these skills? Does the school offer a range of "extra-curricular" activities? Is there a suitable balance between SATs preparation, such as mock tests and booster classes, and the wider curriculum? These are also good questions for Governors to have answers to

Safeguarding Separate safeguarding measure ??? There are some rumours circulating that Ofsted will introduce separate safeguarding inspections, independent from normal inspections. Luke Tryl, speaking to TES, suggested that Ofsted would be "foolish not to look at" the suggestion, following a June 2017 statement from ASCL that compliance should be separate from a quality of education judgement. This is still speculation and Safeguarding is a Key Line of Enquiry in all inspections

Local headlines Locally, in recent inspections the following themes are emerging through key lines of enquiry (KLE): Inspection Dashboard – Data, pupil groups, in school data, where attainment is good focus on progress of groups from their starting points Attendance – including Persistent Absence (PA) – linked to safeguarding. Do you know where your children are if they are not in school? Where do they go if they leave? What checks and procedures are in place? Does the school pursue dead-ends? Haringey JATI – are staff and governors aware of the outcomes and areas of focus Local issues – gang violence and children vulnerable to recruitment into gangs Curriculum – Breath and balance – relevance and access to all pupils