4 Points to Note About the New Ofsted Framework

The new Ofsted framework is now in operation. It sets out how Ofsted will inspect:

• state schools;
• further education and skills providers;
• non-association independent schools;
• early years settings.

Four points for schools to bear in mind are:

1. A four-point grading system remains

Schools will still be graded under the same four-point system as before. The areas graded are:

• Quality of Education
• Behaviour and Attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and Management

2. There’s a specific focus on Quality of Education

Inspections will now have a specific focus on the Quality of Education and particularly on three aspects of the curriculum:

• Intent (to be “phased in”, giving schools chance to review their curriculum)
• Implementation
• Impact

Inspectors will spend less time looking at test data, and more time looking at what is taught and how it is taught. They will consider how the setting achieves its results.

They will want to see that results are the outcome of a broad, rich curriculum and reflect real embedded learning, and are not the result of a narrow curriculum including intensive preparation for tests or exams.

3. New key themes will be taken into account during inspection

These include:

• how a school contributes to pupils’ broader development, including their character, citizenship and resilience;
• how behaviour, low-level disruption and bullying are managed, so that the school is one in which pupils are safe and able to learn;
• whether school leaders are behaving with integrity and putting children’s interests first (including checking that pupils are not entered for inappropriate qualifications in order to have a positive impact on the school’s published performance data);
• how a school deals with exclusions including removing pupils from the school’s roll without a formal, permanent exclusion when this is not in the child’s best interests. (referred to as ‘off-rolling’).

4. Inspection reports will differ

They will still contain grades, using the same grading structure as the previous regime.

They will be more focused on being “parent-friendly” and will be structured to give parents clear and helpful information about the education children are currently receiving, as well as informing choices about their children’s future education.

They will be shorter and clearer. They will tell parents what it’s like to be a child in that school, what the school is doing well and what it could be doing better.

Reports will cover what behaviour is like at the school, how it tackles bullying, and whether children are learning the things they need to learn to get ahead in life.

For more information on the new Ofsted framework, see our previous post here.

Further Support – Upcoming Ofsted Briefings

Later this term For Schools Education Services will be running a series of Ofsted Briefings that will help schools find out about:

• key changes in the new Ofsted Framework;
• what the main implications are for schools;
• how to ensure you are well prepared, without giving undue focus to inspection.

Dates and locations are yet to be confirmed, but if you are interested in attending, please click here register your interest.

Using the New Ofsted Criteria to Support Staff Development

Our online tool, Lessons Learned, has been updated this year to accommodate the new Ofsted criteria and can help ensure that you have the evidence required for Ofsted whilst allowing you to focus on what matters most – school and staff development.

Our comprehensive framework builds on the Ofsted criteria to guide schools towards making judgements on current practice and identifying areas for development. All monitoring and any resulting CPD can be stored on the online system, with reports automatically generated that give you an overview of what’s going on at the click of a button.

To find out more or book a free online demo, please visit our Lessons Learned website.