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Ofsted - News and Updates
Further Consultation on Short Inspections
Ofsted are running a further consultation on the changes to the short inspections. You can find more information here.
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School Inspection Update
The new edition of Ofsted’s School Inspection Update provides details of how inspectors are being instructed to approach school performance data.
Ofsted Inspectors have been reminded:
- not to compare results from last year to this for the new GCSEs
- results for GCSEs and A levels have been stable overall and small fluctuations at school level should not be over-interpreted
- to consider whether decisions made by school leaders are in the best interests of pupils
- to use assessment data as a starting point for discussion rather than the only piece of evidence
- not to focus on single measures with small cohorts
- to treat data from Key Stage 2 teacher assessments with caution
Inspectors are also reminded to look out for evidence that schools may be trying to ‘game the system’, for example by entering pupils into qualifications with significant subject overlap or moving pupils to other settings.
Ofsted have reformed their inspection dashboard into a new style Inspection Dashboard Summary Report (IDSR) which focuses on trends in school performance over the previous three years.
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Ofsted handbooks updated
Ofsted have released updates to the School Inspection Handbook and the Handbook for short, monitoring and unannounced behaviour school inspections. More information is available here.
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Ofsted Inspectors: conflicts of interest policy and procedure
Those who work on behalf of Ofsted must not put themselves in a position where previous employment, personal relationships or private interests conflict, or could be perceived to conflict, with these values. Ofsted’s approach to all potential conflicts, whether real or perceived, is to:
- always disclose
- declare a conflict of interest
- agree arrangements to manage the conflict
- prohibit activity where necessary
View the Conflicts of Interest policy and procedure
Ofsted handbooks updated
Ofsted have released updates to the following handbooks:
School inspection handbook
The school inspection handbook (updated 13 October 2017) provides guidance for inspecting schools under the common inspection framework, with a mythbuster document on common misconceptions.
Changes listed include:
- Changes to the Outcomes for pupils section reflecting changes to GCSE grades and data reports (a new IDSR)
- updates to Clarification for schools section and mythbuster document around myths and misunderstandings
- clarification of arrangements for meeting relevant members of the governance structure and inclusion of chief executives or equivalents in inspections of academies in multi-academy trusts
- and new content explaining what happens to schools that receive the ‘requires improvement’ and ‘inadequate’ judgements.
Handbook for short, monitoring and unannounced behaviour school inspections
The handbook for short, monitoring and unannounced behaviour school inspections (updated 13 October 2017) provides guidance for Ofsted inspectors carrying out school inspections under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.
Changes listed include:
- to the Short inspections of schools section reflecting the outcomes of a recent consultation
- clarifications to the sections on Monitoring inspections
- clarifications about engaging with those responsible for governance and inclusion of chief executives or equivalents in inspections of academies in multi-academy trusts
- and updates reflecting changes to data reports (Analyse School Performance and the new inspection data summary reports or IDSR).
PE and Sport Premium for Primary Schools
The DfE has released the PE and sport premium funding amounts for 2017 to 2018 in Primary Schools. Most state primary schools receive this money (for years 1 to 6). Due to the levy on soft drinks, the rate of funding for the PE and sport premium has doubled when compared to 2016.
In the 2017/18 academic year the amounts are now:
- Schools with 16 or fewer eligible pupils receive £1,000 per pupil (previously this was £500 per pupil)
- Schools with 17 or more eligible pupils receive £16,000 and an additional £10 per pupil (previously this was £8,000 and £5 per pupil).
The funding must be used to:
- develop or add to the PE and sport activities that the school already offers
- make improvements now that will benefit pupils joining the school in future years.
The Department or Education (DfE) and Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA) list some possible uses, which may include:
- Hiring qualified sports coaches to work with teachers
- Supporting and involving the least active children by running or extending school sports clubs and holiday clubs
- Providing existing staff with training or resources to help them teach PE and sport more effectively
- Running sport competitions or increasing pupils’ participation in the School Games (a national competition)
Funding cannot be used to “teach the minimum requirements of the national curriculum” or “employ coaches or specialist teachers to cover planning preparation and assessment (PPA) arrangements”.
Payments for maintained schools are made to local authorities, which then distribute the funding to schools. The ESFA and DfE have not yet published the payment dates for 2017/18. We will update schools as soon as we are aware of the payment dates.
Click here to find out more.
Schools Causing Concern - Statutory Guidance
This statutory guidance, applicable to both maintained schools and academies, was updated in August 2017, to clarify the use of writing data at Key Stage 2 in determining whether a warning notice should be issued to a school. Warning notices can be issued to schools that although not judged as inadequate by Ofsted or have not met the formal coasting criteria, are still giving Local Authorities or Regional School Commissioners (RSC) cause for concern.
A warning notice can be issued to schools on two grounds, one of which is Performance Standards and Safety. The August 2017 update clarified that: in 2016 and 2017, if a school's performance at KS2 has dropped below the floor standard, or met the coasting definition, based on performance in Writing alone, the Local Authority or RSC should not intervene or issue a warning notice, except where the extent of the change in performance cannot be explained by the impact of the changes to primary assessment arrangements in these transitional years.
View the updated Schools Causing Concern guidance.
Analyse School Performance Service – (formerly RAISEonline)
The DfE launched an updated and improved version of Analyse School Performance (ASP) in July 2017 as a replacement for the RAISEonline service. The new ASP service will be a “sister service” to the DfE performance tables.
At the end of September, Key Stage 2 data will be available in ASP – this is provisional data for 2016 / 2017. Breakdowns of data such as disadvantaged pupils will be added at the end of October along with Key Stage 1 and Phonics data for 2017. Provisional Key Stage 4 data will be available towards the end of November.
The service now includes 2017 Question Level Analysis (QLA) and named pupil data for those with appropriate access levels.
QLA data enables primary schools to assess how well their students performed in different areas of the curriculum. It also supports secondary schools in identifying strengths and weaknesses for their year 7 cohorts.
Additional reports have now been added to the service as well as enhancements made to the usability following user feedback and includes improved printing and navigation functions.
Each school, local authority, multi academy trust and diocese ‘should have’ someone already designated as the Secure Access Approver.
The DfE has released a Guide to Getting Started Video to help users navigate the new service.
Inter Faith Week 2017
Inter Faith Week 2017 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales will take place from Sunday 12 - Sunday 19 November.
Inter Faith Week:
- Highlights the good work done by local faith, inter faith and faith-based groups and organisations
- Draws new people into inter faith learning and cooperation
- Enables greater interaction between people of different backgrounds
- Helps develop integrated and neighbourly communities
- Celebrates diversity and commonality
- Opens new possibilities for partnership
Inter Faith Week is one of the major programmes run by the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN), the national umbrella body that works to promote inter faith understanding and cooperation between the faith communities of the UK.
The IFN would like to encourage as many schools as possible to take part in Inter Faith Week in 2017, as this is an excellent way for schools to bring pupils of different faiths and beliefs together to talk, to understand and to learn, so as to promote increased religious literacy.
There are various free resources available for schools thinking of getting involved:
- The Inter Faith Week Toolkit has ideas for marking the Week, complete with helpful checklists for organisers. It can be downloaded at: www.interfaithweek.org/toolkit.
The IFN asks schools to register online if they are planning an activity so that the lead you are taking will encourage others. Schools can register their activities online at: www.interfaithweek.org/submit. Events will be published on the Inter Faith Week website.
IFN’s Trustees hope that schools will join the many faith, belief and inter faith bodies, local authorities, community and voluntary organisations, businesses, emergency services, SACREs, colleges, universities, chaplaincies, sports organisations and others who will be taking part this year.
If you would like any further information, or to discuss a possible event, please email david.hampshire@interfaith.org.uk or tel: 020 7730 0410.