1. The Common Inspection Framework
Inspection of specialist Provision or support of DSEN
Mary Rayner HMI
National lead for DSEN
November 2015
2015

2. Inspectors should evaluate
Inspection is primarily about evaluating how well individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential.
Clarify
The handbook fits with all types of school – ie CIF
Inspectors are not looking for any specific style of education
for particular needs of pupils but look at the effectiveness
of the methods chosen by the school.
Mention the need to keep expectations high when
considering potential.

3. Understanding the changes
Emphasise - it is a journey, and we realise that schools will all be at different stages of that journey. The activities are intended to be both supportive and challenging, whatever stage you have reached. We hope that by the end of the day you will have received confirmation that you are doing some things right and that you leave with a list of actions that you intend to implement back at your schools.
We have invited headteachers and governors to come together because we see this as very much about team work. The interaction between senior professional leaders and governors is vitally important in making and sustaining improvement – so we would hope that during the day you will be able to be both supportive and challenging of each other. We also extended our invitation to local authority officers.
We have organised the event so that more than one school group sits at a table. We are hoping that you will be able to share experiences and ideas, so that you can both challenge and encourage each other. We have tried to place you on tables with schools not too geographically close together to encourage the exploration of different contexts.
NOTE FOR LEAD HMI: Seating plan is important – have this set in advance and let your support person from IMST have the list of table groupings so they can print these and put them on the tables so people know where to sit. Recommend 2-3 schools per table group, depending on delegation numbers and room set-up.
Getting to good

4. A new Common Inspection Framework
Inspectors will make four key judgements:
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment
Personal development, behaviour and welfare
Outcomes for children and learners
And will state clearly whether safeguarding is effective.
Common Inspection Framework

5. A new Common Inspection Framework
The CIF will provide greater clarity, coherence and comparability for learners, parents and employers.
Judgements will be comparable across all Ofsted reports for:
early years provision
16 to 19 study programmes
In FE and skills inspection, inspectors will report on types of provision – including apprenticeships, adult learning and learners with high needs
Common inspection framework

6. Raising standards, improving lives
Inspectors must take account of the learning and progress across year groups of different groups of pupils currently on the roll of the school, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium provides support and the most able.
Special schools receive pupil premium just as any other school
and this needs to be evaluated in the same way –
how is the money spent and what difference has it made to
the achievement and outcomes for pupils?
Groups within a special school will be those you look at in any school
Other groups may also need to be reported on.
Eg; In a PRU or hospital school you may also be looking at groups who
have been at the PRU for different lengths of time
In a hospital school groups may be - Long term stay patients ; Medium term
Returning students who have medium term stays relatively regularly;
Short term (few days)

7. Section 5 inspections
Ofsted does not expect evidence to be provided in a specific format or generated for inspection purposes.

8. Teaching, learning and assessment
Ofsted does not grade individual lessons.
Ofsted does not require evidence for each teacher for each of the bulleted sub-headings of the Teachers’ Standards or specific details of the pay grade of individual teachers who are observed during inspection.
Ofsted does not require any specific frequency, type or volume of marking and feedback or written record of oral feedback provided to pupils by teachers.
Ofsted does not require a particular frequency or quantity of work in pupils’ books.
Ofsted does not expect performance information to be presented in a particular format.

9. Assessment
In evaluating the accuracy of assessment, inspectors will consider how well:
any baseline assessment, teacher assessment and testing are used to modify teaching so that pupils achieve the expected standards by the end of year or key stage
assessment draws on a range of evidence of what pupils know, understand and can do in the different aspects of subjects in the curriculum
teachers make consistent judgements about pupils’ progress and attainment, for example within a subject, across a year group and between year groups.
From handbook (Sept 15)
While there are changes being implemented regarding national
assessment arrangement the key issues relating to evaluating
remain as before.
In special schools, where pupils will be unlikely to ever reach ‘
expected standards,’ inspectors will judge the amount of progress
made from accurate starting points to close gaps with national norms
Ofsted does not expect to see any particular assessment model.
P levels/progression guidance/ commercial schemes can all be used.
It is their impact that is judged and how the school makes comparisons
and ensures their information is accurate/correct.
It can be presented in any format for inspectors. 9

10. assessment information
Criteria
age and starting point
highlights individuals and groups
effectively moderated
objective & broad
challenging and informative
links to curriculum but does not define the curriculum
cross–referenced with other subject areas
Wide range of assessment tools used but should
cover this criteria 10

11. Assessment without levels
There is currently DfE work being carried out: The commission looking at assessment without levels ( and a new group currently being set up to look at assessment for low attaining pupils that will be helpful to schools and inspectors ( . 11

12. Personal development and welfare
Inspectors must make a clear written judgement about behaviour and a separate clear written judgement about personal development and welfare in the inspection report. Where the judgements differ the lower of the two will determine the overall judgement for personal development, behaviour and welfare in the inspection report.
Inspectors must use all their evidence to evaluate what it is like to be a pupil in the school.
Inspectors adopt a ‘best fit’ approach that relies on the professional judgement of the inspection team.

13. Outstanding personal development, behaviour and welfare
Pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment and training
Pupils value their education and rarely miss a day at school. No groups of pupils are disadvantaged by low attendance
For individuals or groups with particular needs, there is sustained improvement in pupils’ behaviour
Pupils are safe and feel safe at all times. They trust leaders to take rapid and appropriate action to resolve any concerns they have.
Handbook descriptors Sept 2015

14. Outcomes for pupils
Inspectors will take account of current standards and progress including the school’s own performance information. Inspectors will evaluate pupils’ academic and vocational achievement. In judging achievement inspectors will give most weight to pupils’ progress taking account of their starting points. Within this they will give most weight of pupils currently in the school, taking account of how this compares with recent cohorts, where relevant.
Common inspection framework

15. Outcomes
When judging the quality of pupils’ outcomes the following aspects are important:
preparation for the next stage(s) in education, training and employment, and adult life
identification of intended outcomes/targets involves the young person and parents/carers
having high expectations, using national comparator information where this is available
age and starting point of the young person
taking into account the young person’s disability/special educational needs
 In SEN schools are these points covered by the EHCP? 15

16. Assessment of outcomes
The proportions making expected progress and the proportions exceeding expected progress in English and in mathematics from each starting point, compared with national figures, for all pupils
Use of any P level data
Any analysis of robust progress information presented by the school, including information provided by external organisations
The contribution of IEP/EHCP targets 16

17. Leadership and management
The evaluation schedule is not exhaustive. It does not replace the professional judgement of inspectors.
It is up to schools themselves to determine their practices and for leadership teams to justify these on their own merit.

18. Outstanding leadership and management
Leaders and governors focus on consistently improving outcomes for all pupils, but especially for disadvantaged* pupils. They are uncompromising in their ambition
Governors systematically challenge senior leaders so that the effective deployment of staff and resources, including the pupil premium and SEN funding, secures excellent outcomes for pupils. Governors do not shy away from challenging leaders about variations in outcomes for pupil groups, especially between disadvantaged* and other pupils.
From handbook descriptors ( Sept 2015)
* And DSEN?
Discuss on tables: What will this look like in
the short inspections?
What would you expect leaders to know?
Think of possible questions that you could ask
school leaders where the pre inspection
evidence suggests DSEN is a potential concern

19. Making final judgements
Inspectors make the key judgements in the following order:
the quality of teaching, learning and assessment
personal development, behaviour and welfare
outcomes for pupils
the effectiveness of leadership and management. Inspectors will always make a written judgement in the section on leadership and management about the effectiveness of the arrangements for safeguarding pupils.
the final judgement on the overall effectiveness evaluating:
the effectiveness and impact of the provision SMSC
the extent to which the education provided by the school meets the needs of
the range of pupils at the school including:
disabled pupils
pupils who have special educational needs.

20. Short inspections
Short inspections for good schools, academies and FE and skills providers – approximately every three years, for one day (schools) or up to two days (FE&S).
Two judgements only:
Is the school/provider still good?
Is safeguarding effective?
Greater professional dialogue during the inspection; more regular reporting to parents, learners and employers.

22. Labels are not relevant – needs are relevant
Key points to consider
Labels are not relevant – needs are relevant
Developing independence is crucial no matter how severe the disability
Expectations should be high: all pupils, all groups, all aspects, all the time
Pupils need to be challenged to push the boundaries (college, travel, walking round school)
Learning should be taking place throughout the day
Age appropriateness and dignity are crucial
Curriculum pathways should be planned according to suitable destinations.
It is important to observe at different times of the day not just ‘formal’ lessons
– many special schools and PRUs include lunch and breaks as taught time
Opportunities for developing communication skills throughout the school day
(e.g. communication systems always available and used
consistently by all staff in all situations)
Opportunities to practice mobility in a variety of sessions
Opportunities to develop independence how are they supported to become less
reliant on staff both in terms of learning and for managing their own behaviour
How well do pupils behave when not heavily supervised by adults

23. Questions
Mary Rayner HMI
National leads for DSEN
November 2015