Preparing for Ofsted

1. Preparing for Ofsted Andrew Johnson

2. Why ? • To have an impact on the quality of your school. • Not a ‘mocksted’ • To help inspectors understand your context • To help your own self evaluation and planning • To help your governors understand your school

3. The inspection handbook • It contains all the key messages • It supplements the common inspection framework • It is modified year on year • It is publically available

4. Key Messages - Outcomes • Inspectors should give most weight to progress from starting points • They will take account of the most able and those that need to catch up • They will take account of the disadvantaged, especially the most able • They will take account of SEND • Most weight to progress in current year but must compare this with progress in recent cohorts ( previous 2 years) • They will evaluate achievement across the curriculum, not just English and mathematics • Raise online will be used to July 2017 – then replaced. Also available is the inspection dashboard • Comparison is about comparing with groups with similar starting points nationally and diminishing differences.

5. Activity 1 – imagine inspectors have asked you the questions below; • What impact have the actions you have taken had on reducing the differences in progress and attainment had on your current cohort in year 4. (or year 9)? • Can you tell me what you have done particularly in relation to disadvantaged more able children, could you show me their books?

6. Activity 2 – in pairs • Share briefly with your partner the answers to the questions in Activity 1 • How do you think your governors would have responded to those questions.

7. What would the inspectors do to find evidence ? • Discuss with leaders the evidence the school uses in its self-evaluation report. • Look at books in lessons, compare books from different groups • Observe lessons, looking for differentiation of challenge. More able need to have more difficult tasks – not just do more work at the same level. • Look at the grade descriptors in the handbook –pupils progress is above average or improving across most subject areas and from different starting points progress in English and mathematics is close to or above national figures.

8. Teaching, learning and assessment – key messages • Inspectors must not advocate a particular method of planning, teaching or assessment • Lesson planning – no specific requirements to produce plans for Ofsted, no requirement about how planning is set out, - Ofsted assess impact. • Self evaluation – for schools to determine format and should be business as usual for school not just done for Ofsted • Lesson observations – Ofsted don’t grade lessons, teaching or outcomes in a lesson – they gather evidence to grade those things over time • Pupils’ work and marking – no specific requirements for quantity, frequency or style of marking.

9. Activity 3 – if asked by an inspector – what would you say - • What has been the impact of the measures you have taken to improve teaching learning and assessment ? • Where can I find the evidence of impact ? • Who else might I talk to about teaching and learning ?

10. Activity 4 – in pairs • Share the answers to Activity 3

11. Inspectors might - • Talk to staff • Look at performance management records • Talk to NQTs • Talk to governors • Talk to middle leaders • Talk to children • Watch you teach or in assembly • Do a joint lesson observation • Look at pupils work

12. Information before the inspection • Every local authority maintained school must publish specific information on its website to comply with – the school information (England) (amendment) Regulations 2012 • For most academies this requirements will be reflected in its funding agreement (although some early academies don’t). For academies its recommended not statutory, unless its in the funding agreement.

13. Activity 5 – list what must appear on your website

14. What do the regulations say ? • School contact details • Admission arrangements • Ofsted reports • Exam and assessment results • Performance tables • Curriculum • Behaviour policy • School complaints procedure • Pupil premium • Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium • PE and sport premium for primary schools • Special educational needs (SEN) and disability information • Governors’ information and duties • Charging and remissions policies • Values and ethos • Requests for paper copies

15. How do Ofsted treat Academies and MATS ? • Some academies have a ‘sponsor’ - a school, a college, a university, charity, philanthropist, business, education foundation, faith community, existing MAT. • All academies have a trust • Single academy trusts have members and trustees • MATs have members, trustees and local governing bodies • The academy trust is the accountable body – not the sponsor or the local governing body • The trust is responsible for delivering three core strategic functions – ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school, overseeing the financial performance of the school to ensure money is well spent. • Some MATS are now beginning to be inspected ( despite the lack of statutory basis to do it)

16. Activity 6 – Devise a set of questions to check out the quality of governance or leadership in an Academy or MAT

17. Some examples - • How do quality assurance processes within an across the school/academies check and improve teacher and pupil performance? • How do local governing bodies work together as a team to understand the strengths of the school/academy and areas for improvement ? • What is the impact of having a MAT ? • To what extent are challenging questions asked about the performance of different groups ?

18. Some common issues - • ‘They come in well below ! ‘ • Being precise about what you mean and backing it up with evidence

19. For example - • Attainment on entry to nursery at age three • Average on entry means that Nursery children are likely to be working within the early years outcome band for 30-50 months (i.e about 3 years old). • Below on entry means a substantial proportion of children do not demonstrate all of the elements in the 22-36 month band (i.e maybe around a year behind)

20. Types of evidence - • Baseline assessment , NFER, EE (early Excellence), CEM (Durham University) • DfE comparability study – differences in how genders attain, differences in numeracy content • Which assessment did you choose – and why, how have you used the evidence.

21. Reception • Average on entry means reception children are likely to be working within the early years outcome bands for 40-60 months (i.e. about 4 years old) • Below on entry means a substantial proportion of children do not demonstrate all the elements in the 30-50 month bands ( ie. About a year behind)

22. Activity 7 examine the sample evidence - • Are they well below ?

23. Observation in lessons – no checklist • Are the activities challenging enough for all children and meeting their individual needs / • Do responses demonstrate sufficient gains in their skills, knowledge and understanding ? • How do teachers monitor childrens progress in lessons and use information to adapt their teaching • Do teachers use questioning to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and promote learning ? • How well are children engaged? Are they intersted and if they are not how do staff encourage them to be so? • How well are pupils concentrating and persisting with tasks ? • Are pupils demonstrating determination, resilience and indepence? • There is a big difference between being busy and learning • Do teaching assistants make a difference to learning ? Do they have subject knowledge ?

24. Activity 8 • Discuss with your partner the methods you use when observing teaching ? • What do you hope to achieve by observing teaching ?

25. Let’sobserve a couple of lessons… • http://archive.teachfind.com/ttv/www.teachers.tv/videos/hana-abbasi-lesson-2-uncut.html • http://archive.teachfind.com/ttv/www.teachers.tv/videos/lesson-1-esther-arnott-uncut.html