红桃影视

Ofsted has branded every grammar school inspected so far under its new framework as inclusive, prompting a backlash from social mobility campaigners.

Schools with very small numbers of pupils with SEND and with free school meals rates at a fraction of the national average are among those judged as 鈥榚xpected standard鈥� or even 鈥榮trong standard鈥� for inclusion.

Inspectors began rating schools on inclusion when the new framework launched last year.听

翱蹿蝉迟别诲鈥檚 inspection toolkit states that, when looking at inclusion, inspectors should consider how schools听identify and support disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, those known to children鈥檚 social care and children who 鈥渕ay face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing鈥�.

However, the watchdog does not take into account a school鈥檚 admissions policy.

‘Strong standard’

Schools Week听analysis found that, of 11 grammar schools inspected so far under the new framework, eight were rated 鈥榮trong standard鈥� for inclusion, the second highest grade, while the rest met the 鈥榚xpected standard鈥�, the middle of five grades.

Grammar school leaders have defended their record, arguing that glowing Ofsted reports reflect inclusion efforts for their cohorts.听

But Nuala Burgess, chair of the campaign group , said: 鈥淚f Ofsted is giving a gold star for inclusion to schools that exclude most local children, they clearly don’t understand the meaning of the word.鈥�

Sir Thomas Rich’s School in Gloucester was rated 鈥榮trong standard鈥� across the board.听

For inclusion, inspectors noted that leaders 鈥渆nsure that staff are well trained to identify pupils’ needs swiftly, including when needs may not be obvious.听

鈥淭his has led to an increase in the number of pupils identified for support. Teachers act effectively to remove barriers in the classroom, such as providing pupils with additional time to process their thinking.鈥�

Few on EHCPs

At the school, 5.22 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The national average, which Ofsted uses as a comparison in its reports, is 28.9 per cent.

Just 0.88 per cent of the pupils at Sir Thomas Rich鈥檚 have education, health and care plans(EHCP).听Across England the figure is 3.09 per cent.听

The Tiffin Girls鈥� School in Kingston upon Thames was rated 鈥榚xceptional鈥� in all areas except inclusion, for which it was rated 鈥榮trong standard鈥�. Inspectors praised its 鈥渉ighly inclusive culture, which underpins the ethos of the school.听

鈥淟eaders swiftly and accurately identify pupils who experience barriers to learning. Leaders oversee a rigorous system for assessing pupils’ needs. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.听

鈥淎 well-trained team provide clear guidance for staff on how best to meet the needs of all pupils. Leaders ensure that this information is clear and precise for all staff.鈥�

The report card shows 9 per cent of the school鈥檚 pupils are eligible for free school meals, and just 0.24 per cent have an EHCP. The schools were approached for comment.

Dartford bucks the trend

Burgess said: “Grammar schools cannot be 鈥榠nclusive鈥�.听These schools, by their very nature, exclude the majority of local children by design. That is their raison 诲鈥檈迟谤别, and they take great pride in their exclusivity.

鈥淎 truly inclusive school welcomes all children from the local community. Grammar schools, on the other hand, exclude hundreds of children with additional needs and from disadvantaged backgrounds every year.鈥�

The only grammar school inspected so far with a free school meals rate close to the national average is Dartford Grammar School for Girls, where 23.33 per cent of pupils are eligible.

Inspectors rated it 鈥榮trong standard鈥� for inclusion and praised its 鈥渇ully inclusive ethos where pupils feel valued and seen.听

鈥淟eaders are highly ambitious for everyone to achieve their full potential, regardless of any barriers they may face.鈥�

A spokesperson for the school said they were 鈥渆xtremely proud to be a highly inclusive and culturally diverse community鈥�.

The school prioritises disadvantaged pupils in admissions, which pushes up the proportion of its intake eligible for the pupil premium.

鈥淲e are very proud of this and recognise it is highly unusual for a selective school.听 In addition, the number of students with SEND and who may otherwise be considered as vulnerable, is growing.鈥�

Inclusion judgment

The news comes after MPs raised concerns last year that Ofsted did not plan to look at admissions as part of its inclusion judgment.听

Former union leader Geoff Barton has also expressed fears, telling Tes that 鈥渨hat the framework does not do is look at how representative a school is of its local community鈥�.

Social mobility charity the Sutton Trust recommended that Ofsted be granted the powers to inspect admissions directly as part of the inclusion category.

Charlotte O鈥橰egan, schools engagement lead at the organisation, said the findings of Schools Week鈥檚 analysis 鈥渉ighlight the current limitations of the inclusion strand in the Ofsted framework.听

鈥淏y failing to consider a school鈥檚 approach to admissions as part of their inclusion ethos we risk oversimplifying our understanding of how inclusive a school is.听

鈥淎t worst it celebrates schools with small levels of disadvantage and SEND over those with above average proportions. This can encourage schools to curate their intakes.

鈥淭rue inclusion starts with admissions. In order to meet the government鈥檚 aims to make all schools more inclusive we must reflect this in how we judge schools.鈥�

But Mark Fenton, a former selective school head who leads the Grammar School Heads鈥� Association, said the new framework 鈥渟eeks to assess how well schools are breaking down the barriers faced by their own pupils.

鈥淪upporting pupils with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds is a top priority for grammar schools 鈥� in common with all other schools 鈥� and inspection outcomes clearly reflect this.鈥�

At St Ambrose College in Altrincham, Cheshire, 0.46 per cent of pupils have an EHCP and around 8 per cent receive free school meals 鈥� both below average.

But principal Dermot Rainey told Schools Week that inclusion was at the heart of the grammar school鈥檚 mission.听

鈥淭he story of the school’s founder, Edmund Rice, has a particular moment where he is said to have looked out of the window and decided to use his wealth to ‘level up鈥�,鈥� he said.

Being a Catholic school also 鈥渁ffords us opportunities to be inclusive, not just because of values, but also through the over-subscription criteria with admissions.听

Disadvantaged postcodes

鈥淲ith Catholic applicants taking priority, it allows us to take in students from across Greater Manchester, many from some of the most disadvantaged postcode areas in the country.鈥�

He noted that 翱蹿蝉迟别诲鈥檚 new framework 鈥渋s clear that the conversation around inclusion should be judged not only by who enters the school, but by what happens to them once they are there.听

鈥淭hat allowed us to talk about our work and successes around social mobility and to demonstrate the transformational impact this work had on members of our community.鈥�

Rainey added that, 鈥渨hile we know that our percentage of SEND and PP students is below the national average, it is growing year on year. Those students receive the same diet, experiences and outcomes as other students.听

鈥淲hile our context may differ from that of many schools, our experience suggests that inclusion should be judged not simply by the proportion of SEND or disadvantaged pupils on roll, but by the extent to which every pupil is known, supported, participates fully in school life and leaves with improved life chances.听

鈥淲e believe our inspection report and the inclusion judgment accurately reflects that reality and would welcome visitors to see this work first-hand.鈥�

‘Broad term’

The Skinners’ School in Tunbridge wells was given ‘expected standard’ for inclusion.

Its head Edward Wesson told Schools Week听the school had doubled pupil premium intake during his tenure and while numbers are not high, 鈥渨e do a number of things to make sure that they achieve and belong in a substantial way鈥�.

He also pointed out inclusion was a 鈥渂road term鈥� that also included young carers and speakers of English as an additional language.

鈥淚f you add these groups together at Skinners’ the numbers run into the hundreds.鈥�

He added that 鈥渙ne of the key points about the new Ofsted framework is that it looks at each school in context.

鈥淛ust as Ofsted should not hammer an all-ability school for its below average outcomes if there is a good reason for those outcomes, nor should it hammer a selective school for having fewer disadvantaged children. It is what the school does with those children that matters.鈥�

Wesson added the inspection process 鈥渄id go pretty well when looking through the lens of inclusion鈥�.

鈥淲e actually felt that our provision for inclusion was strong, because we are able to have a very bespoke focus on every disadvantaged child.

鈥淚t appears that the reason we were given an expected grade was because we did not have a more comprehensive written strategy, something we are now preparing.鈥�

‘Not a competition’

Ilford County High School was rated 鈥榮trong standard鈥� for inclusion.

Headteacher Gavin Barnett said schools 鈥渟hould be assessed on how well they know and cater for the students they serve and the particular needs and challenges within their community.

鈥淚nclusion is not a competition based on who has the highest proportion of SEND or disadvantage, but about the quality and impact of the support provided.

鈥淛ust like many successful, inclusive schools, we place strong emphasis on quality first teaching, early identification, careful monitoring and targeted interventions across a range of needs.鈥�

He felt Ofsted had 鈥渞ecognised this approach. Inspectors looked closely at our systems for early intervention, our tracking and monitoring processes, and how effectively we respond to a wide variety of needs.

鈥淭hey engaged meaningfully with leaders, staff and students, taking a broad view of inclusion that went beyond headline figures and focused on lived experiences.鈥�

‘Not just about FSM and SEND’

Approached for comment, Ofsted pointed out that it had no remit to look at schools鈥� admissions.

A spokesperson added: 鈥淚nclusion is a golden thread running through our entire inspection framework, but the inclusion evaluation area itself focuses specifically on leaders鈥� ambitions, intent and identification of those who need support.听

鈥淎nd this is not just about support for children on free school meals or those with SEND 鈥�other children can also experience challenges that affect their well-being and ability to learn.

鈥淲hile it is meaningless to draw any conclusions from an analysis of results for just 11 schools, the strong results on inclusion that we have seen so far across all schools should be celebrated.鈥�