The New Ofsted Framework

Pupil Achievement

Quality of Leadership and Management

Quality of Teaching

Behaviour and Safety

Common Inspection Framework

The Common Inspection Framework (CIF), for use from September 2015, covers all the education services that Ofsted inspects, including:

•Maintained schools and academies•Early years settings•Non-association independent schools•Further education (FE) and skills providers

Common Inspection Framework

Ofsted says that the new framework is "designed to bring together" the inspection of different education settings to "provide greater coherence across different providers that cater for similar age ranges".

It adds that the CIF:

... ensures more comparability through inspection when children and learners move from one setting to another. It supports greater consistency across the inspection of different remits.

Key Judgements

Paragraphs 23, 24, 36 and 37 of the CIF explain that Ofsted will make graded judgements in the following areas:

•Overall effectiveness•Effectiveness of leadership and management•Quality of teaching, learning and assessment•Personal development, behaviour and welfare•Outcomes for children and learners•The effectiveness of early years and sixth form provision, where applicable

Summary of the changes

Setting Previous Ofsted rating

Current frequency of inspection

CIF: frequency of inspection

Maintained schools and academies

GoodA full inspection once every 3 to 5 years

A short inspection approximately once every 3 years

FE and skills providers Good A full inspection

within 6 years

Special schools, pupil referral units (PRUs) and maintained nursery schools

Good and Outstanding

A full inspection once every 3 years

Key Judgements

• A short inspection does not result in individual graded judgements.

• It does not change the overall effectiveness grade of the school or provider.

• If inspectors believe that a change of grade may be necessary, they trigger a full inspection, which will make the full set of graded judgements using the four-point grading scale.

Safeguarding – Why

The table below summarises these changes.

Outstanding Schools

Schools judged to be 'outstanding' will continue to be exempt from routine inspection, but Ofsted will retain the power to inspect if performance drops or other concerns are raised.

The exemption from routine inspection does not apply to 'outstanding' special schools, PRUs and maintained nursery schools. However, under the new CIF, these settings will have the short inspection if they have been rated 'outstanding' or 'good'.

How Ofsted evaluates the governance of a school

Paragraph 28 of the framework says that when making a judgement on the effectiveness of leadership and management, inspectors will evaluate the extent to which leaders, managers and governors

Evaluation:

• Demonstrate an ambitious vision, have high expectations for what all children and learners can achieve and ensure high standards of provision and care for children and learners

• Improve staff practice, teaching, learning and assessment through rigorous performance management and appropriate professional development

Evaluation:

• Evaluate the quality of the provision and outcomes through robust self-assessment, taking account of users’ views, and use the findings to develop capacity for sustainable improvement

• Provide learning programmes or a curriculum that have suitable breadth, depth and relevance so that they meet any relevant statutory requirements, as well as the needs and interests of children, learners and employers, nationally and in the local community

Evaluation:

• Successfully plan and manage learning programmes, the curriculum and careers advice so that all children and learners get a good start and are well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment

• Actively promote equality and diversity, tackle bullying and discrimination and narrow any gaps in achievement between different groups of children and learners

Evaluation:

• Actively promote British values

• Make sure that safeguarding arrangements to protect children, young people and learners meet all statutory and other government requirements, promote their welfare and prevent radicalisation and extremism

When it goes wrong:

'Inadequate' grade descriptors

The grade descriptors for 'inadequate' leadership and management include:

•Capacity for securing further improvement is poor and the improvements leaders and governors have made are unsustainable, have been implemented too slowly or are overly dependent on external support

When it goes wrong:

'Inadequate' grade descriptors

•Leaders and governors, through their words, actions or influence, directly and/or indirectly, undermine or fail to promote equality of opportunity. They do not prevent bad behaviour and prejudiced actions and views

•Leaders and governors are not protecting pupils from radicalisation and extremist views when pupils are vulnerable to these. Policy and practice are poor, which means pupils are at risk

What could we say and evidence:

Grade descriptors for leadership and management

'Outstanding' grade descriptors

Leaders and governors focus on consistently improving outcomes for all pupils, but especially for disadvantaged pupils. They are uncompromising in their ambition

What could we say and evidence:

Grade descriptors for leadership and management

'Outstanding' grade descriptors

Governors systematically challenge senior leaders so that the effective deployment of staff and resources, including the pupil premium and special educational needs (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

What could we say and evidence:

Grade descriptors for leadership and management

'Outstanding' grade descriptors

Leaders and governors use incisive performance management that leads to professional development that encourages, challenges and supports teachers’ improvement. Teaching is highly effective across the school

Greater EmphasisThe 2014 framework put more focus on governance than its predecessor. The new framework has not increased scrutiny on governance but has maintained the same level of focus as the 2014 framework

an inspector said. …. that there was a greater emphasis on ensuring that governors are “on the ball” and fully aware of issues within the school. She said inspectors would want to ensure that governors knew what was being done to bring about the improvements relevant to the school.

Greater Emphasis

Paragraph 38 of the inspection handbook also explains that, at the beginning of inspection, the school will need to make available:

•Documented evidence of the work of governors and their priorities, including any written scheme of delegation for an academy in a multi-academy trust•Any reports of external evaluation of the school, including any review of governance ...

My final thoughts • It is unlikely that governors would be judged as requiring

improvement if a few were less active.

• I think that inspectors accept that on all governing bodies there are likely to be a few who work and would find it difficult to get into school during working hours.

• An inspector's focus is more likely to be on how the chair of governors and the school are making use of the skills that working people bring.

• For example, this could include a consideration of how governors with particular skills or experience are deployed in committees and working groups