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Overview of the revised inspection
processes
The changes in inspection, introduced by Ofsted in September 2005, aim
to encourage a shift away from the considerable amount of time schools
have spent preparing for inspection, to a focus on improving quality.
Periodic inspection will now be complemented by more rigorous internal
evaluation.
The revised procedures include:
For more detailed information relating to the inspection process refer
to, ‘Every
child matters: Framework for the inspection of schools in England from
September 2005’.
Links to ‘Every Child Matters’
and the Children Act 2004
Inspection will also focus on the well-being of young people in the
light of the Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’ and the Children
Act 2004. The Children Act 2004 established a framework for ensuring a
more cohesive approach to the way that children’s services and local
authorities cooperate to improve the well-being of local children.
Joint area reviews will be carried out in England. These reviews will
evaluate the extent to which the five outcomes identified in ’Every
Child Matters’ are being met. The five outcomes are:
Inspection of individual organisations will feed into this process.
In the Common
Inspection Framework each of the key questions has been linked to
the five outcomes (see pages 3 and 4 of the Common Inspection Framework).
In judging leadership and management and the overall effectiveness of
the school, inspectors will consider the contribution made to all five
outcomes.
Key skills teachers may need to note the emphasis on enjoyment as well
as achievement in relation to key skills! It does highlight the need to
incorporate innovative learning and teaching strategies within sessions
and to integrate key skills within purposeful contexts in order to motivate
learners to succeed.
Refocusing of key questions within
the Common Inspection Framework
The Common Inspection Framework (CIF) lists the questions all inspectors
must ask every provider of education and training. The new framework has
five, rather than seven, key questions - with an additional requirement
to assess the overall effectiveness of the provider.
Achievement and standards
- How well do learners achieve?
The quality of provision
- How effective are teaching, training and learning?
- How well do programmes and activities meet the needs and interests
of learners?
- How well are learners guided and supported?
Leadership and management
- How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement
and supporting all learners?
Overall effectiveness
- How effective and efficient is the provision of education and training
in meeting the needs of learners, and why?
- What steps need to be taken to improve the provision further?
When undertaking self-assessment, key skills coordinators will need to
ensure that they use the five questions as a basis for their approach
to any documentation they use.
For further information relating to what inspectors may be looking for
with reference to key skills under each of these questions click on:
Key skills: what might inspectors be looking
for?
Reduced period of
notice
The revised inspection procedures aim to cut down unnecessary pre-inspection
bureaucracy and allow inspectors to see schools as they really are.
The notification period that schools will receive varies from nought
to five days. No notice is required if Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector
is concerned about the safety or well-being of pupils in a school. However,
for most schools the average notice period will be two days
.
Inspections are proportional to need, so the most effective schools
will have the longest interval between inspections. Inspections are scheduled
to occur every three to four years but will be more frequent if a school
causes concern.
Shorter and more focused inspections
In all cases inspection will last no longer than two days. The number
of inspectors involved in the inspection will vary according to the size
and extent of the provision offered by the school, but it is anticipated
that the average inspection team will consist of six inspectors.
The school’s self-evaluation form (SEF) together with the performance
and assessment report (PANDA) and the school’s previous inspection
report will be used to shape and focus the inspection. The information
will be used to identify themes that will be investigated by the inspection
team. Each individual subject will no longer be investigated. It is probable,
though that some lessons will be observed to confirm or challenge the
evidence base used by the school in it's SEF to judge its performance.
The reduction in inspection time and the need to interrogate data used
by the school in its SEF will require inspectors to interact closely with
senior managers in schools. It will therefore be important for the key
skills coordinator to ensure that the senior management team is fully
briefed about all aspects of key skills provision within the school.
A four point grading scale
A four point grading scale will be used when any judgement is made -
for lesson observations, for instance, and for summary judgements relating
to areas of learning and organisational effectiveness.
Table 1: The grades
| Level |
Description |
| Grade 1 |
Outstanding |
| Grade 2 |
Good |
| Grade 3 |
Satisfactory |
| Grade 4 |
Inadequate |
Key skills coordinators will need to ensure that documents such as lesson
observation proformas reflect this new grading scale and that staff are
conversant with the criteria that underpin each category.
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