The Department for Education (DfE) has published an online tool (external link) which signposts schools to a list of local agencies providing the type of worker they are seeking. These agencies will be sorted by the rates they charge, making it easier for schools to find the best deal for them. From a governance perspective, those governing can ask senior leaders if they have used this tool to see if savings are possible compared to their existing provider.
Category: Governance
In September 2018 Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Ofsted, announced her intention to develop a 2019 Ofsted inspection framework with curriculum as a central focus. The rationale for this, she outlined, was because Ofsted has previously placed “too much weight on test and exam results”.
Ofsted has now published the consultation of its draft framework for the inspection of maintained and academy schools (external link), to take effect from September 2019. Ofsted intended for a single “quality of education” judgement to replace the existing “quality of teaching, learning and assessment” and “outcomes for pupils” categories. The proposals are that inspectors will focus on a provider’s curriculum intent, implementation and impact, and pupil performance will not be considered in isolation but in the context of the school curriculum. The aim is to “de-intensify the inspection focus on performance data and place more emphasis on the substance of education and what matters most to learners and practitioners.” The framework proposals are based on in-depth research carried out by Ofsted. Read more here (external link). The closing date for the consultation is 5 April 2019.
The DfE's updated guidance on school complaints procedures (external link) says that your school's procedure must include the steps to follow for complaints against:
- the headteacher;
- a member of the governing board;
- the entire governing board.
Updates to good practice guidance
There's now advice on:
- complaint campaigns;
- where complaints about the national curriculum and collective worship should be directed;
- the use of legal representation;
- including mediation as part of your procedure;
- publishing the procedure online (although this requirement is already set out here (external link).
The DfE has also updated its recommendations on:
- the number of stages your procedure should have – it now recommends a 2-stage formal process (rather than 2 or 3 stages);
- how to conduct appeals – it does not recommend limiting the scope of the appeal stage to considering only the handling of the complaint at earlier stages. It should consider the complaint afresh;
- circulating minutes – it recommends providing the complainant with copies of the minutes from meetings or hearings (alongside written confirmation of the outcome).
Schools should check that their policy is compliant. Please contact Haringey Education Partnership, Governors Services at governorservices@haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk for any advice or support.
The Department for Education (DfE) has released the primary school performance tables for 2017/18. For each primary school, this includes the results for key stage two SATs and teacher assessments, and key stage one and two pupil progress measures in reading, writing and mathematics.
This data will be particularly useful for those governing in terms of holding their lead executive to account for the educational performance of their school(s). Compare how your school is performing (external link) in relation to others in the local area or create your own comparison with like-for-like schools.
Looking across all primary schools, analysis from the BBC (external link) has revealed that only 51% of disadvantaged pupils (i.e. those eligible for free school meals or who have ever been looked after by the local authority) were reaching the “expected level” at key stage two compared to 70% of non-disadvantaged pupils. Breaking this down, the BBC revealed that:
- 80% of non-disadvantaged pupils achieved the “expected standard” in reading compared to 64% of disadvantaged pupils
- 83% of non-disadvantaged pupils achieved the “expected standard” in writing compared to 67% of disadvantaged pupils
- 81% of non-disadvantaged pupils achieved the “expected standard” in maths compared to 64% of disadvantaged pupils
Furthermore, while the “gap” between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has shrunk since 2011, the BBC analysis highlighted that, at its current rate, “poorer pupils will not catch up for 50 years”.
In Haringey’s KS2 disadvantaged scores they are 67% in Reading, 75% in Writing and 69% in Maths, all subjects higher than national disadvantaged pupils. The disadvantaged gap in Haringey is and has been narrower than National in previous years.
The National Governors Association has written a new guide for governing boards on careers guidance with support from the Careers & Enterprise Company, the Gatsby Foundation and Education & Employers.
The new guide sets out the duties of the governing boards of primary and secondary schools in the context of the broader aims of the government’s careers strategy, alongside the key resources, sources of information and data to consider when monitoring the provision and quality of careers guidance.
Access the new guidance here (external link).
Nick Gibb, Minister of State for School Standards, has written a letter to Amanda Spielman (external link), Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), asking that Ofsted increase the level of inspection for outstanding schools to 10% (rather than the current 5 – 10%). This comes amid concerns that some schools previously rated outstanding have not been inspected for over 10 years (external link). Nick Gibb writes that whilst schools rated outstanding might be eligible for exception, Ofsted should be able to see schools that might need inspection based on official yearly performance data. Ofsted should then be able to determine which schools need inspecting from this information. Nick Gibbs explains that:
“This 10% will include schools and colleges where Ofsted’s risk assessment indicates there may be concerns. Ofsted can of course also choose to visit a selection of schools and colleges where best practice is likely to be found to support its survey and research programme, as set out in your strategic plan.”
Currently Ofsted cannot inspect schools more frequently than legislated. However, in order to accommodate the increased inspection of outstanding schools, in its 2017 – 2022 strategy (external link), Ofsted suggested that:
“to allow us to visit more outstanding provision while maintaining a focus on poor provision, we may, within legislative limits, lengthen the interval between inspection visits of good providers”.
Ofsted’s annual report (external link) for 2017/18 was published on Tuesday 4 December. Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), emphasised within the report the areas of most concern. These have been identified by Ofsted over the past year through evidence taken from around 30,000 inspections and visits, as well as drawing on Ofsted’s own research findings.
Key findings relating to schools include:
- 95% of early years providers are judged good or outstanding, with 86% of schools judged at least good.
- Between January 2016 and January 2017, 19,000 pupils in years 10 and 11 “dropped off schools rolls”, with around half of these not appearing on another school roll. Some of the most vulnerable children are most likely to “leave their school”, with Ofsted identifying around 300 schools with “exceptional levels” of pupils coming off-roll.
- Local area special educational needs and disability (SEND) inspections found continued lack of co-ordinated 0-25 strategies and poor post-19 provision.
- There is a subsection of schools which has been persistently judged less than “good”, with over 490 “stuck in a cycle of poor performance” since 2005. Spielman dubbed these “stuck schools".
While the report calls for more outstanding schools to support “stuck schools”, Ofsted identified that leadership capacity within the sector is “worryingly thin”. Spielman calls on the DfE to grow system leadership capacity, to set out clearly how it will fund school improvement services and incentivise school-led system sponsors.
Regarding priorities for the year ahead, HMCI set out that new approaches to inspection will include:
- In December, following some targeted piloting and inspector training, Ofsted will be changing the process for reviewing MATs by introducing MAT summary evaluations.
- A focus on the substance of education and the curriculum; from September 2019 Ofsted will use the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) to rebalance inspection and take into more account of what is taught.
Read the report in full here (external link).
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has released new guidance (external link) to help schools engage with their parents to “improve children’s academic outcomes”. This guidance pulls together the most recent research on parental engagement supplemented with a survey of 180 schools in England and interviews with 16 educational professionals.
The EEF outline that, as there is an “established link” between parental engagement and outcomes for pupils, schools should be positive and optimistic about the possibly of working more closely with parents. The guidance offers four practical tips for schools which will help them better engage parents. These are:
- critically review how you work with parents;
- provide practical strategies to support learning at home;
- tailor school communications to encourage positive dialogue about learning;
- offer more sustained and intensive support where needed.
Particularly relevant for those governing, the EEF recommend that schools should take a strategic and planned approach to engaging with parents. With evidence mixed about the effectiveness of various parental engagement strategies, schools need to understand that parental engagement is not easy and will require “sustained effort and support”.
With most schools currently without a parental engagement plan, the EEF recommend that schools should begin by talking to a range of parents and exploring age appropriate evidence-informed strategies (examples of “what works” are provided in the guidance). They should then establish a plan and monitor this plan in line with a set of “defined aims”. The guidance also encourages schools to engage in better “two–way” communication with parents. The governing board play a critical role in facilitating this by fostering an ethos and culture which values parental engagement.
The Department for Education (DfE) has released updated guidance (external link) on health and safety in schools. The guidance reminds schools that they must have a health and safety policy in place and sets out the key elements of an effective policy.
Governors and trustees must ensure that that they have approved a health and safety policy that is proportionate and relevant to the school. Once approved by the board and implemented by the senior leaders, governors and trustees should regularly ask questions to ensure that the policy is being properly understood and implemented.
Categories
DfE school premises guidance
The Department for Education (DfE) has released new guidance to clarify what schools can do to bar or remove individuals from the school premises. The guidance, entitled Controlling access to school premises, outlines schools’ rights and responsibilities regarding access to the site, and how schools should handle unwanted individuals on the premises. The guidance is available here (external link).
Governors and trustees should be aware of the responsibility they hold for ensuring children’s safety while they are in school.