• New Ofsted Framework – what does it mean for schools?

    Published: March 21 2019

    Ofsted launched a consultation on 16 January 2019 on proposals for changes to the education inspection framework. If approved the new framework will take effect from September 2019. Ofsted is proposing changes to the way it assesses teachers and pupils alike, to ensure students receive the best education possible which may then lead to changes within your school.

    Why propose to change?

    According to Ofsted Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, the proposal shifts the focus of inspection to look closely at the substance of education: what is taught and how it is taught, with test and exam outcomes looked at in that context, not in isolation. Therefore, taking a more holistic approach to consider the quality of education will hopefully put the interests of pupils first and will allow teachers and leaders to focus more of their time on the real substance of education.

    Key proposals for consultation

    Key proposals for consultation include:

    • a new ‘quality of education’ judgement, with the curriculum at its heart
    • looking at outcomes in context and whether they are the result of a coherently planned curriculum, delivered well
    • no longer using schools’ internal performance data as inspection evidence, to ensure inspection does not create unnecessary work for teachers
    • separate judgements about learners’ ‘personal development’ and ‘behaviour and attitudes’
    • extending the on-site time for short inspections of good schools to 2 days, to ensure inspectors have sufficient opportunity to gather evidence that a school remains good

    What this may mean for your school?

    A single ‘quality of education’ judgement will replace the existing ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’ and ‘outcomes for pupils’ categories. This will look at how your school is deciding what to teach and why, how well they are doing it and whether it is leading to strong outcomes for young people.

    However, it is important to remember that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment will still be judged but the focus here will be around your curriculum and pupil outcomes won’t be the main factor when considering a school’s judgement.

    Inspectors will look to understand the purpose and usefulness of internal pupil data and will do so by asking school leaders to explain why the data is being collected, what they draw from it and how it informs their curriculum and teaching.

    The current personal development, behaviour and welfare judgement will be replaced with 2 separate judgements: behaviour and attitudes and personal development. This will aim to provide better information to parents about how well behaviour is managed in a school. Therefore, this may lead to a review of your behavioural policy in your school.

    Are you prepared for these changes?

    The consultation is open until 5 April 2019. Following this, a new framework will be confirmed which will take effect from September.

    Find out about the range of tailored support for schools and academies from Kent HR including support with reviewing policies and practices. Please complete the enquiry form below or contact us for more details.

    This article was correct as of its publication date of 18 March 2019.

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