LSD Inspection Development Project

1. LSD Inspection Development Project Workshop on self-assessment using CIF and new inspection handbook Sue Preece HMI NATSPEC Conference September 14th 2009 QAC, Birmingham

2. Is your self-assessment report: • a descriptive account of your provision so that an external observer can quickly understand what you do, or • a document which evaluates the quality and effectiveness of every aspect of your provision against the Common Inspection Framework (CIF), and is clearly at the centre of all of quality-improvement activities.

3. Self-assessment processes should • Cover the common inspection framework • Site robust evidence on which to build clear unambiguous judgements • Include SMART target setting with clear milestones • Be fit for purpose • Etc.. Etc….

4. Publications to support self-assessment • Ofsted inspects (Ofsted 2009) explains the inspectorate’s requirements for self-assessment or self-evaluation. • Learner-Centred Self Assessment material available on the LSIS website: • www.excellencegateway.org.uk > Ofsted Good Practice Database > Learner-Centred Self Assessment

5. Limiting contributory grades • Safeguarding Two judgements on safeguarding will be made: under the leadership and management section and in the staying safe outcome section of all reports. • Equality & diversity The equality and diversity grade will contribute to and may limit the grade for overall effectiveness

6. Tasks • Swap SARs with your critical friend. Choose a section from the quality of provision or leadership and management. Consider the evidence presented in the SAR about this particular section and match it to the evaluative statements in your inspection handbook. Complete the worksheet • Use a highlighter pen or pencil to mark all of the judgements, eg. ‘good use of’, ‘effective‘, ‘thorough’, ‘insufficient’, ‘there are no..’, etc.. • NB. If the word ‘more’ has been placed in front of a judgement such as ‘effective’, this ceases to be a clear judgement and becomes a statement of relativity. In other words, what was once poor may have improved, but still not be satisfactory.

7. Tasks - Question & Evaluation Question • Are the tasks and activities needed to address the issues appropriate and sufficiently detailed? Evaluation • Targets that are not SMART risk an area for improvement bullet such as ‘poor target setting’.

8. Tasks - Question & Evaluation Question How evaluative is the text? • To be ‘judgement rich’ there should be at least one judgement in almost every sentence: • Judge  substantiate • Judge  substantiate etc.. Evaluation • Text without judgements is descriptive and you risk an area for improvement bullet such as ‘overly descriptive and insufficiently evaluative self assessment’.

9. Tasks - Question & Evaluation Question • Are you confident that the SAR covers the whole of the CIF? Give reasons for your answer: Evaluation • If your SAR does not cover all aspects of the CIF you risk a range of area for improvement bullets such as • ‘insufficiently thorough self-assessment’, • ‘insufficient learner engagement’, or whatever the gap may be

10. Tasks regarding development plans Question • How does the college intend to monitor the progress of their improvement initiatives throughout the year and determine whether planned actions are leading to improvement? Evaluation • A well-monitored development plan could lead to a positive judgement about your Capacity to Improve.