红桃影视

Ofsted has today set out how its proposed new inspection model and school report cards will work.

A consultation on the proposals will run until April 28, with findings reported in the summer.

The return of inspections after the summer break will then be delayed until November to allow enough time to implement the changes, said.

You can read our news story on the changes here, and a Q&A with Ofsted boss Sir Martyn Oliver here.

Here’s your usual handy Schools Week explainer…

1. Report cards to judge schools on 9 areas…

Report cards will judge schools on eight areas, plus safeguarding. Early years and sixth forms will also have their own categories 鈥� meaning a school could have 11 ratings in total.

Ofsted said these areas 鈥渞epresent the component parts of great education provision鈥� and 鈥減rovide the nuance鈥� parents and professionals want.

They will allow inspectors to 鈥渉ighlight poor practice with more precision 鈥� pointing laser-like to specific issues, not shining a floodlight on the whole provider鈥�.

Each evaluation area will have a drop-down box that contains more information about the findings.

The inspection areas for schools (state and independent) are:

• Leadership and governance
• Curriculum
• Developing teaching
• Achievement
• Behaviour and attitudes
• Attendance
• Personal development and well-being
• Inclusion
• Safeguarding
• Early years in schools (where applicable)
• Sixth form in schools (where applicable)

For initial teacher training, there will be six:

• Leadership
• Inclusion
• Curriculum
• Teaching
• Achievement
• Professional behaviours, personal development and well-being

2. … 5 traffic-light ratings from 鈥榗ausing concern鈥� to 鈥榚xemplary鈥�

Each of the new areas will be rated using a five-point, traffic light system.

Ofsted said this will allow inspectors to 鈥渧alidate and celebrate success鈥�, give reassurance where leaders are showing the 鈥渇irst signs of improvement鈥�, and 鈥渋dentify where leaders鈥� attention needs to turn next to avoid outcomes declining鈥�.

The five ratings will be:

• Causing concern (red): needs urgent action to provide a suitable standard of education for children and learners
• Attention needed (amber): some aspects of provision are inconsistent, limited in scope or impact and/or not fully meeting legal requirements or non-statutory guidance expectations. However, inspectors think leaders 鈥渉ave the capacity to make necessary improvements鈥�
• Secure (light green): offering a 鈥渟ecure standard of education鈥� by meeting the above standards
• Strong (green): practice is 鈥渃onsistently secure across different year groups and subjects鈥�. Leaders 鈥渨orking above and beyond鈥� what鈥檚 expected
• Exemplary (dark green): all evaluation areas are graded at least secure and, in an area that is “consistently strong”, there is 鈥渁 feature of practice that could be considered as exemplary鈥�

Ofsted said the middle three grades would 鈥渢ypically capture where most providers would sit across the range of evaluation areas鈥�.

Ofsted does provide a brief summary of other grading options. But they say a three-point scale wouldn鈥檛 support continuous improvement, four ratings wouldn鈥檛 allow them to 鈥渂reak down鈥� 鈥榞ood鈥� into 鈥渕ore parts, and a 7-point scale was 鈥渦nnecessarily complicated鈥�.

Here is an example of what a new report card inspection will look like …

3. Inspectors 鈥榬ecommend鈥� exemplary 鈥� national panel decides

Inspectors can only recommend a school gets an exemplary rating. This will then be 鈥渕oderated and confirmed鈥� by a 鈥渘ational quality and consistency panel鈥�.

Consideration will include how the school鈥檚 work is embedded and sustained over time, whether it is making a 鈥渢angible difference鈥� to children鈥檚 learning and is being shared with others to 鈥渟upport system improvement鈥�.

Any schools with 鈥榚xemplary鈥� will be invited to submit a case study to be published on the Ofsted Academy website, potentially through a series of 鈥渘ational best practice reports鈥�.

Oliver said the new top grade will “help raise standards, identifying world-class practice that should be shared with the rest of the country”.

4. Bye bye ungraded inspections

From November, all inspections will be 鈥榝ull鈥� inspections. There will be no more ungraded inspections.

This will 鈥渟implify inspection: every school will know exactly what kind of inspection it will receive and how often鈥�, Ofsted said.

An evaluation of the current inspection framework, published by Ofsted on Monday, found inspectors were 鈥渓ess confident鈥� in their evidence base for the areas of focus on ungraded inspections.

Currently most schools get full inspections roughly every four years. Ofsted has not said at what frequency they will happen under the new framework.

5. One red and schools will be put in a category…

The definition for schools that fall into categories of concern is set out in law:

• Schools with widespread issues: 鈥榮pecial measures鈥�
• Schools with more specific (but still serious) issues: 鈥榮erious weaknesses鈥�

This will remain, but the lesser category will be renamed to 鈥榬equires significant improvement鈥�. This will prevent confusion, Ofsted said.

Schools will be be deemed to require significant improvement if…

• They get a red ‘causing concern’ rating (or safeguarding ‘not met’) in any area, but not in leadership
• They get a red rating for leadership but no other red grades and are meeting safeguarding requirements

Schools will be deemed to be in special measures if…

• They have a red rating in leadership and at least one other area (or safeguarding ‘not met’)

6. … one amber and it鈥檚 a monitoring inspection within 18 months

All schools that are either causing concern, or have *any* area graded 鈥榓ttention needed鈥� (amber), will get a monitoring inspection within 18 months.

Monitoring visits to the latter will focus on just the 鈥榓ttention needed鈥� areas. If schools show 鈥渟ignificant signs of improvement鈥�, the area will be upgraded to 鈥榮ecure鈥�. Monitoring will continue until all areas are secure.

Ofsted said this will mean schools with a lower rating aren’t waiting years for another inspection to show they’ve improved.

Schools deemed as 鈥榬equires significant improvement鈥� will get five monitoring inspections within 18 months.

Schools in special measures will get six monitoring inspections within 24 months.

Government has also published its own intervention plans today.

7. Ofsted to publish number of SEND kids, absence data

Ofsted said it also wants to 鈥渢ake into account the context that a provider operates in鈥�, which was 鈥渁 strong theme in the Big Listen鈥�.

They plan to 鈥渟ummarise鈥� information on schools and the local area alongside the report card. This includes:

• Characteristics of children: including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND
• Outcomes: performance data for all children and for particular groups, including those who are disadvantaged. They will highlight trends in performance data
• Absence and attendance: including those with persistent absence
• Local area data: including deprivation and relevant characteristics of the local community, availability and quality of other educational and care provision in the area, as well as any provision/services a child or learner may move onto next

8. Toolkits mean schools 鈥榳on鈥檛 have to guess what鈥檚 in inspector鈥檚 minds鈥�

Ofsted will publish toolkits for each evaluation area to 鈥渢ake any mystery out of inspection, so providers can be clear about what we will and, importantly, will not look at鈥�.

Oliver described this as 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� and meant leaders would 鈥渘o longer have to guess what鈥檚 in inspectors鈥� minds鈥�.

They will 鈥渃ontain the standards鈥� Ofsted will inspect against and 鈥渄escribe the quality they would expect to see at each point on the scale鈥�.

Conversations will start with leaders’ 鈥渙wn evaluation of how their provision is doing鈥�, based on the toolkits, published data and professional standards.

9. Nominated staff member to work with inspectors

All inspections will start by discussing a school鈥檚 work against the 鈥榮ecure鈥� criteria. To decide grades, inspectors will focus on leadership of the area and the extent of inclusive practices.

If secure is met, inspectors will consider higher grades. If not, they鈥檒l look at the lower grades.

Ofsted already has a proven model of better inspections

If the emerging grade is 鈥渁t odds鈥� with leaders鈥� views, inspectors will ask leaders to 鈥渟uggest who else they should speak to and what other evidence they could consider鈥� to make sure they鈥檝e got broad enough evidence.

鈥淧rofessional dialogue between inspectors and leaders will be a priority,鈥� Ofsted added.

Every school will also be asked to nominate a senior staff member to 鈥渨ork closely with the inspection team鈥�.

This will make sure leaders are 鈥渇ully included in the inspection process鈥�. Such nominees are already used in further education inspections.

10. How new inclusion focus will work

The toolkits also show how Ofsted plans to hold schools to account for providing inclusive education.

Inclusion, along with leadership, will feature as a key question across all evaluation areas, for all remits.

Inclusion is defined as:

Inclusive providers are at the heart of their communities. They have high expectations and aspirations for every child and learner. They are particularly alert to the needs of those who need the most support to achieve well, including those with SEND.

Leaders set a clear and ambitious vision for inclusion at the provider. They communicate this to children, learners, staff, and parents and carers. They create a culture in which every child and learner belongs, and feels safe, welcomed and valued. They make sure that all children and learners access a high-quality education, taught by experts with high ambition who strive to develop every child and learner鈥檚 potential.

Leaders work in a close and effective partnership with parents and carers and other agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for every child and learner, regardless of their starting points. Inclusive providers are relentless in identifying and removing barriers to participation and learning, so that all children and learners can achieve and thrive.

11. Curriculum deep dives gone, more focus on results

Inspectors will no longer do deep dives. Ofsted said inspectors 鈥渉ad challenges in gathering evidence鈥� through this process 鈥� which delved into the curriculum of specific subjects 鈥� because of 鈥渢ime limitations鈥�.

The evaluation of the current framework found deep dives were 鈥渕ore challenging鈥� in small schools.

Removing deep dives will 鈥済ive inspectors and providers significantly greater flexibility鈥�. Inspectors will instead discuss the 鈥渕ost appropriate activities tailored to the specific provider鈥�, normally based on 鈥渓eaders鈥� improvement priorities鈥�.

Report cards will 鈥減lace more emphasis on children and learners鈥� outcomes,鈥� Ofsted said.

鈥淭his does not mean exam results alone. It means looking at whether children and learners achieve well at every stage of their learning journey, so that they can move confidently and smoothly into the next phase of education or training 鈥� or into employment.鈥�