Do you agree with Michael Wilshaw, that we face the biggest changes to school inspection in the last two decades?
More importantly, do we need more changes? Do we want/need a self-reforming watchdog? In this blog, I capture the highlights for all busy teachers to read in less than 5 minutes. Why not share this summary with your leadership team?
A Common Inspection Framework:
On 15th June 2015, Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Ofsted announced the following in this press release. The event in London, is the first of 8 conferences around the country designed to share the details of the new inspection model with the sector.
Image: Evening Standard
Highlights:
- From September, Ofsted will inspect good schools (typically lasting one day) and further education and skills providers once every 3 years under a new short inspection model.
- “Leaders will have nothing to fear from accurately identifying at the outset any weaknesses in their provision – as well as the strengths – based on their own evaluation.” said Wilshaw. On the importance of recognising these achievements, Sir Michael said: “Those leaders who are taking risks, putting themselves out and disseminating good practice beyond their own institution need to be celebrated as exceptional reformers.” These colleagues will relieve a letter to them acknowledging their leadership as exceptional.
- A common framework for inspection is being introduced encompassing registered early years settings, maintained schools, academies, non-association independent schools and further education and skills providers, so that common judgements and terminology can be used across all these sectors.
- Ofsted’s complaints process will open up to have to greater accountability. Each Ofsted region will set up a ‘scrutiny committee’ made up of HMI and teachers not involved in carrying out inspections for Ofsted. They will assess and rule on the internal reviews of complaints about inspection.
- The new school year will bring significant changes to the way Ofsted contracts with, trains and manages inspectors for schools and further education and skills providers. Ofsted Inspectors will be directly contracted by the inspectorate, and will undertake inspections. Seven out of 10 of these inspectors will be serving practitioners from good and outstanding schools and colleges. All of their training, quality assurance and performance management will be directly overseen by HMI.
Useful? Share this with colleagues here.
On Reform:
- We don’t tell teachers how to teach anymore – there is no Ofsted preferred style of teaching. Inspectors no longer grade the quality of teaching in individual lessons and no longer require teachers to produce lesson plans.
- Inspectors do not require lengthy policy documents.
- Reports are now much simpler, clearer and more readable for parents and families with an increased number of serving practitioners from good and outstanding institutions into the inspection workforce
The full speech can be found here.
What Next?
I hope this helps provide a snapshot for every busy teacher. Why not share this with your colleagues, especially your leadership team.
My view is here.
- Why not read my Secret Ofsted series?
- Submit your own personal story here in confidence?
- Or read about my one-to-one meeting with Sean Harford in April 2015?
TT.
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