Issues arising from Ofsted inspections

Issues arising from Ofsted inspections Frank Ravey Principal Inspector, CfBT Inspection Services

Focus • Some facts and figures around section 5 inspections nationally and on Merseyside • From good to outstanding – moving to the next level

The big picture….is positive! • In 2006/07 60% of maintained schools nationally were judged to be either good or outstanding • In Greater Merseyside69% of maintained schools were judged to be either good or outstanding

Overall effectiveness of schools nationally and in Greater Merseyside 2006/07(Merseyside figures in brackets; expressed as %s)

More positive headlines • The proportion of outstanding schools nationally continues to rise • Pupils’ achievement is good or outstanding in the majority (60%) of schools inspected • Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good or outstanding in the large majority (86%) of schools

More positive headlines (2) • Behaviour is good or outstanding in 88% of schools overall • Successful schools use assessment well to track pupils’ progress, tailor learning and set targets for improvement but assessment remains the weakest aspect of teaching. • A feature of successful schools in all phases is high quality professional development

Special Schools • The percentage of good or outstanding special schools (80%) is better than that for maintained schools as a whole • Effective special schools take great care in tailoring the provision for individual pupils. • These schools have high expectations, regardless of the pupils’ difficulties, they record pupils’ progress in detail and they work closely with parents

Recurrent concerns • Pupils’ writing in English, especially that of boys, is frequently a weakness in the primary phase which they carry into KS3 • Using and applying mathematics are often under-emphasised in primary schools • Weak subject knowledge in other parts of the primary curriculum has a negative effect on provision • The impact of the Secondary National Strategy, whilst positive, is uneven

Recurrent concerns (2) • A particular characteristic of weaker lessons in primary and secondary schools is the setting of undemanding tasks • In subjects across the secondary curriculum some teaching is formulaic and leads to dull lessons that fail to engage pupils • Continuity of teaching, learning and use of assessment at primary/secondary cross-phase transfer needs improving.

From good to outstanding – moving to the next level HMCI 2006/07 - an outstanding school has: • an excellent head teacher focused on teaching and learning and with an understanding of wider outcomes; • good teachers who provide personalised support and carefully track pupils’ progress; • robust management systems and a ‘can do’ culture of achievement; • a broad range of curriculum options and uses specialism to drive improvement;

An outstanding school has (2) • teachers who are encouraged to use the best resources available to them; • who develop themselves, improve their work and share what they do well; • who have high expectations of all children; • children who always feel supported and are achieving well. • It engages with parents and the wider community (‘National Challenge’)

Bridging the gap (1) • Pupils’ achievement is good or outstanding in the majority (60%) of schools inspected • Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good or outstanding in the large majority (86%) of schools

Bridging the gap (2) • In a significant proportion of good schools. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding • For all types of schools, judgements on pupils’ personal development well-being (ECM) are better than those for their achievement. • The move ‘upward’ is often (but not always) about raising achievement outcomes to match those for personal development.

The importance of the Areas for Improvement (AfIs) The purpose of AfIs is: • to identify the few most significant improvements the school needs to make to increase its effectiveness They should be brief and to the point

Example 1 Area for improvement (AfI) in a Merseyside Primary judged to be ‘good with outstanding features’: ‘Raise standards in English to match those achieved in mathematics and science’

Example 2 1st AfI in a Merseyside secondary school whose overall effectiveness was judged to be good ‘Improve standards and progress in the sixth form and achievement in science by the end of Year 9’

HMCI’s Annual Report 2006/07 ‘Outstanding leaders share key responsibilities with senior staff, establish high expectations and engage support for their vision from the staff as a whole. Their self-evaluation is insightful, improvement work is effective and sustained and management systems ensure that provision is of a consistently high quality.’

Issues arising from Ofsted inspections