Understanding the Curriculum: Challenges and Ambiguities

Ofsted: policy updates and key messagesFinding a middle ground - National Middle Schools Forum Joanna Hall HMI Deputy Director Schools 17 October 2017

Curriculum: intent, implementation and impact Development work for the new inspection framework 17 October 2017

Our curriculum survey Curriculum Survey • Purposes and principles of the work • The framework for this survey • Definition of the curriculum • Overview of the research • Emerging findings -now published 11 October in a commentary by HMCI: • Phase one has shown that we have only begun to scratch the surface of this complex area. Phase two of the study will continue into the autumn and spring terms of this academic year • …the emerging challenge

Purposes and Principles Purpose 1 Influence wider thinking on the role and importance of the curriculum in education by: • developing a rigorous evidence base on the relative importance of the curriculum in outcomes • identifying linkages between the curriculum and increased social mobility Curriculum Survey

Purposes and Principles Purpose 2 Inform inspection policy by: • understanding the current impact of inspection policy and practice on the curriculum in schools • understanding the drivers of strategic decision making in schools and how to deploy inspection effectively in this context • identifying the characteristics of an outstanding curriculum that is underpinned by evidence of successful outcomes for pupils Curriculum Survey

Purposes and Principles Purpose 3 Inform policy making in the DfE by: • testing the extent to which the curriculum at school and classroom level is influenced by national policy levers or other factors Curriculum Survey

Nine Box Framework Curriculum Survey

Working definition of the curriculum Curriculum Survey “The curriculum is a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and understanding to be gained at each stage (intent); for translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation) and for evaluating what knowledge and understanding pupils have gained against expectations (impact/achievement).”

Research overview Curriculum Survey • Reception: • 40 visits planned and publication in autumn 2017 • Schools: • 40 visits planned, first analysis complete, now planning next set of visits to complement initial findings • Also analysing qualifications data, Year 9 options forms and speaking to parents and headteachers • No judgements! • Level 2 in Colleges: • 15 visits planned and set for publication in the autumn • Also collecting views from learners

October 2017 – Commentary Curriculum Survey 3 important consequences of a reduced understanding of curriculum: First, the primary curriculum is narrowing in some schools as a consequence of too great a focus on preparing for key stage 2 tests. Second, leaders have often misunderstood the purpose of key stage 3 and the new GCSE assessment criteria. And third, the intended curriculum for lower-attaining pupils in some secondary schools was often associated with the qualifications that count in league tables but not with other knowledge they should be acquiring.

Round table task 17 October 2017 Working on tables consider how you would explain the design, implementation and impact of the curriculum in your school?

The emerging challenge Curriculum Survey Having analysed our first visits to schools, we have been presented with a challenge… …the language being used is ambiguous, by both teachers and inspectors We want to develop a very detailed understanding of the techniques being applied in schools to develop and deliver the curriculum… …but, from our early evidence, there does not appear to be a shared understanding, across the sector, of what those techniques are or how to describe them Some examples…

‘Skills’ Curriculum Survey This has wide-ranging interpretations: • skills involved with specific subjects or activities (e.g. reading skills) • what might be called ‘transferable skills’ (e.g. organisational skills, verbal communication skills, leadership skills) • ‘executive functions’ (e.g. memory, attention, inhibitory control)

‘Enrichment’ Curriculum Survey This tends to refer to additional activities which enhance the curriculum, including visits from relevant members of the public that might relate to a particular topic and school visits. These may be aimed at particular groups of pupils (e.g. gifted & talented) or the whole class. An alternative meaning is associated with those who have already mastered a particular concept or learning, and they therefore acquire understanding at a deeper level through enrichment. In this case, it may be related to asking more analytical questions, or ‘harder work’. This takes place during lessons, and is a way of extending the learning of those pupils.

‘Repetition’ Curriculum Survey This has several interpretations – repetition as practice, repetition as lack of progression, repetition as layering of knowledge, or repetition in different contexts. • Repetition of content could be a positive, where it enables children to practice so concepts can be embedded more deeply (‘intelligent practice’). • It could be a negative where poor planning or progression mapping leads to content being revisited as new. This may be a problem particularly in Y7, where children from different primary schools have different levels of confidence in particular concepts, so some students may repeat specific prior learning. • Repetition of skills in different contexts could have a positive effect on learning. Current research on executive functions suggests that practising in a single context leads to improved working memory skills but may not transfer to other contexts.

‘Theme-based’ approaches Curriculum Survey Examples include: theme-based approaches; cross-curricular; topic; block teaching of themes; umbrella topic; imaginative learning projects; and completely integrated topic. • Ways of grouping subjects/knowledge/skills, but often with subtle differences. • A key difference is whether subjects are kept distinct • Subject matter can be grouped together, e.g. an overarching topic of ‘Rivers’ may have lessons on changing state in distinct science lessons, and combining paint colours in art. • By contrast, in a ‘completely integrated topic’ the learning may be similar but without making reference to whether it’s a science lesson or an art lesson.

‘Broad and balanced’ Curriculum Survey • These terms are used frequently by schools and in evidence forms by inspectors, but there isn’t an indication of when a narrow, imbalanced curriculum becomes a broad, balanced curriculum. • Or whether this is age-dependent. • Also, the comments tend to refer to curriculum offering, and may not relate to the actual content of what pupils studying.

What kind of things do we need to clarify to move forward? Curriculum Survey How do we describe the key points on the spectrum between teaching subjects discretely or merging subjects in topics or themes? What are the most common patterns of variation or repetition of content? What are the types of formative assessment and what impact do they have on the curriculum and vice versa? How do we describe the interplay between repetition, progression and formative assessment that captures how these might be appropriately or inappropriately aligned? What are the principal approaches to varying the pace of progression through the curriculum for pupils with different starting points and aptitudes?

The new inspection framework Curriculum Survey Build on the curriculum work Build on other research work Time to develop and engage with the sectors Time for sectors to adjust, so…….… …commence in September 2019

In the meantime, schools need to… Curriculum Survey …know their curriculum – design and intent …know how their curriculum is being implemented …know what impact their curriculum is having on pupils’ knowledge and understanding Need for numbers? That’s up to the school – best way of ‘knowing’ (not ‘demonstrating’) the above?

Curriculum – broad and balanced Curriculum Survey Pupils must acquire competency in English and mathematics to access and learn well in a range of subjects – important in our current framework But we do focus on whether schools provide a broad and balanced curriculum, HMCI recently stated the importance of learning in deep, rich curriculum. October 2017 HMCI Commentary: The substance of the curriculum is a matter for government policy. Ofsted has a role in judging how well schools reflect the government’s intentions and don’t distort the aims that have been set. This is complex and is why this is a long-term investigation for us. It is one that I have no doubt will shape how we inspect in future.

Questions

So what is ahead for 2017/18? • The short inspection consultation – now published and new consultation also about modifying the short inspection model. • Continuing to gather evidence for the curriculum survey and review the findings. • Developing three new inspection frameworks.

Ofsted consultation – June 2017 Changes to short inspection consultation Between the 15 June 2017 – 18 August 2017, Ofsted consulted on the following changes to short inspections: • Extend the window for the conversion of short inspections into section 5 inspections to take place within a maximum of 15 working days after the short inspection, from the current 48 hour period.AND • Some good schools to receive a section 5 inspection instead of a short inspection where Ofsted’s risk assessment indicates that inspectors may need to gather more evidence to reach a judgement about the school. We received 1,690 responses.

Outcome of consultation Changes to short inspection consultation • Three fifths of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that some good schools should receive a section 5 inspection instead of a short inspection. • Just over half of respondents disagreed with extending the window of conversion to a period of up to 15 days, but some were prepared to accept a shorter period.

The way forward Changes to short inspection consultation Starting from October half term, we will: • Carry out section 5 inspections for some good schools where our risk assessment tells us that a short inspection would be highly likely to convert. • Wherever possible, keep the window of conversion at the current 48 hours, but may go up to a maximum of seven working days, where circumstances dictate that to be necessary. • Increase the short inspection tariff in large secondaries with more than 1,100 students by one on-site day – responding to points raised during the consultation. We believe this approach strikes a balance between minimising the burden on the sector and being able to deliver the short inspection programme. However, these changes still mean that we will have to hold some Ofsted Inspectors on contingency, and this is not a positive arrangement in the long run.

Plans for future consultation Changes to short inspection consultation Ofsted launched a fresh consultation on 21 September, aimed at further refining our approach to short inspections. We will continue short inspections and conversions, however we propose three changes: Inspectors should continue to convert short inspections, normally within 48 hours, if there are serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education. Where a short inspection does not convert but inspectors are not fully confident that the school would receive its current grade if a full section 5 were carried out, the school should receive a letter setting out strengths and priorities for improvement and a section 5 should be carried out at a later date. Where a short inspection does not convert, but inspectors identify strong practice that could indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding, the school should receive a letter setting out strengths and priorities for further improvement and a section 5 inspection should be carried out at a later date.

Proposal 1 Changes to short inspection consultation Convert inspections within 48 hours if there are serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education Keeping children safe, while they are in their care, is the paramount responsibility of schools. Managing pupils’ behaviour effectively so that learning and the progress that pupils make are not disrupted is also a key consideration. And parents need to know as soon as possible if the quality of education is likely to have declined significantly into inadequacy

Proposal 2 Changes to short inspection consultation Where a short inspection does not convert but inspectors are not fully confident that the school would receive its current grade if a full section 5 were carried out, the school should receive a letter setting out strengths and priorities for improvement and a section 5 should be carried out at a later date. The letter to the school will be published it will confirm that their judgement has not changed and will identify clear priorities for improvement. In this way, we would hope to ‘catch schools before they fall from being good’ and give them some more time to improve.

Proposal 3 Changes to short inspection consultation Where a short inspection does not convert, but inspectors identify strong practice that could indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding, the school should receive a letter setting out strengths and priorities for further improvement and a section 5 inspection should be carried out at a later date In this way, we hope to give the school time for the strong practice to be consolidated and the opportunity for it to be celebrated through confirmation of an outstanding judgement

We are not proposing any… • Changes to the purpose of a short inspection or to the short inspection methodology. • Changes to a school’s experience of a short inspection when inspectors are on site. Changes to short inspection consultation

Next steps Changes to short inspection consultation • The consultation opened on the Thursday 21 September 2017 and closes on Wednesday 8 November 2017 • Additional consultation activity is taking place throughout October 2017 • We will publish the main findings and our response in December 2017. • We expect to implement the finalised changes in January 2018.

Focused reviews of MATs. 17 October 2017

Background and context 17 October 2017 • Currently Ofsted has no specific statutory/legal power to inspect a multi-academy trust • No separate inspection framework for reviewing MATs – completed by agreement • Secretary of State letter to HMCI of 16 January 2015 set out basis for these focused reviews: • https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-inspections-nicky-morgan-writes-to-ofsted • Starting point is focused (or ‘batched’) inspections of individual academies within the MAT that are in window You can find our published MAT review letters at: • https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/outcome-letters-from-ofsted-inspections-of-multi-academy-trusts

Background and context 17 October 2017 • By conducting focused inspection activity in academies within a single MAT, HMCI is able to: • better fulfil the general duty to keep the Secretary of State for Education informed about matters connected with his/her remit; and • to perform functions for the general purpose of encouraging and promoting improvement within HMCI’s remit. • MAT focused review is a two week event – first week inspecting individual academies

Week 1 of the focused review 17 October 2017 Focused inspections can include section 8 short inspections, section 8 monitoring and section 5 inspection ‘batched inspections’ (both HMI and OI led) Academies must be in the window for inspection – i.e. would be due inspection within the academic year For other academies in the MAT, we canvass views through a telephone survey All findings drawn together to inform a range of MAT-level meetings/challenge discussions with leaders in week 2

Week 2 of the focused review 17 October 2017 • Review the strategic work and impact of the MAT, including discussions with key personnel such as CEO and Trustees • Review the outcomes of the academies inspected as part of the focused review and discuss with leaders their analysis of the performance of other academies, the quality of support and challenge offered by the MAT • Gather further evidence about the impact of the MAT on academies - level of oversight, challenge and support

Forward look 17 October 2017

Key priorities for 2017/18 To do list: 1. Development work for the new inspection frameworks: - Potentially a new way of evaluating/inspecting MATs by September 2018 - A new ITE framework by summer 2019 - A new common education inspection framework for September 2019.

Questions

Thank you

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Minimal changes seen at the national level this year This footer is edited in >Insert > Header & Footer Only minor changes to the proportion of schools judged good or outstanding at their most recent inspection, compared to August 2016: All schools (21,000) – 89% no change • Special schools – 94%, an increase from 93% • Pupil referral units - 89%, an increase from 86% • Primary schools – 91%, an increase from 90% • Secondary schools - 79%, an increase from 78% Middle schools - as at the end of September 86% (105 /122)

Understanding the Curriculum: Challenges and Ambiguities