Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
Dear Colleagues
You will have received a copy of HMCI’s recent letter to schools, setting out changes
to inspection guidance for section 5 inspections. This update summarises those
changes and provides links to revised guidance documents on a number of key
issues. Please do ensure that you are familiar with the revisions to guidance.
Many thanks for your continued work.
Michael Cladingbowl HMI
National Director, Schools
February 2013
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Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
Impact of pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up
Since October 2012, inspectors have evaluated and reported on how additional
funding provided through the pupil premium1 is being spent and its impact on raising
standards. From 25 February 2013, inspectors should report specifically on the
performance in English and mathematics of pupils supported through the pupil
premium compared to all other pupils in the school. Inspectors should highlight any
differences between the average point scores for English and mathematics2 and
whether gaps are narrowing for the following pupils:
those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and all other pupils
(FSM and non-FSM pupils)
children who are looked after and all other pupils (CLA and non-CLA)
children of service families and all other pupils (this information is not
contained in RAISEonline, but inspectors will expect schools to provide it
during the inspection).
Inspectors should also scrutinise the school’s own assessment data and evaluate the
progress made by those pupils who are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium.
This month, we published a report from a survey of good practice into the use of the
pupil premium to raise standards:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/pupil-
premium-how-schools-are-spending-funding-successfully-maximise-achievement
The updated guidance can be found in Subsidiary guidance:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/110166. Leadership and management - performance
management
Inspectors evaluate already how effectively school leaders recognise and reward
good teaching. Inspectors must ask schools for anonymised information from the
last three years, which shows the proportions of teachers who have:
progressed along the main pay scale
progressed to, and through, the upper pay scale
progressed along the leadership scale
1 Pupil premium is for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families,
and those children that are looked after. Year 7 catch-up premium is for pupils who did not achieve
the expected Level 4 in English at the end of Key Stage 2.
2 Inspectors should do this separately for English and mathematics, and report on the difference
between average point scores at the end of Key Stage 2 for primary pupils and at the end of Key
Stage 4 for secondary pupils.
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Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
received additional responsibility payments, such as teaching and learning
responsibility payments and special needs allowances.
The information provided should include information about patterns of progression
through the different salary scale points, and comparisons between subject
departments and/or teachers deployed in different key stages.
The new guidance can be found in Subsidiary guidance:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/110166. Governance
HMCI’s Annual Report for 2011/12 stressed the importance of the leadership of
schools, including the role played by governing bodies. Inspectors should meet with
as many governors during an inspection as is possible, and should determine how
well governing bodies evaluate the performance of the school, particularly in terms
of: pupil progress; the leadership of teaching; the management of staff; and the
difference made by initiatives such as the pupil premium or the Year 7 catch-up
premium. Where governance requires improvement, inspectors should recommend
an external review of the governing body. We will launch a new online tool in
February 2013 to help governors, as well as parents and others, to understand and
review essential school performance data.
The updated guidance can be found in Subsidiary guidance:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/110166. Parent View
We have made changes to Parent View
(www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk) by
increasing the minimum number of responses to the questionnaire, before any
results are displayed on the website, from three to 10. Schools will be sent an email
alerting them that results are to be made public, and asking how often they want to
receive ongoing alerts about Parent View (for example daily, weekly or monthly).
Where a school raises a concern about Parent View, Ofsted will investigate the
concern within one working day of being notified.
School websites
As you know, schools are required to provide key information to parents and others
on the school’s website, including details of curriculum provision. Inspectors should
use the website as a starting point when considering provision in the school. Full
details of what schools are required to publish can be found at:
www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/advice/f00215241/school-information#.
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Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
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Floor standards criteria
Following the publication by the DfE of the statistical first release (SFR) for GCSE
and equivalent results on 24 January 2013, the figures used for the secondary
school floor standards have changed to reflect the 2012 data rather than the 2011
data. The figures for the 2012 primary floor standards were published in the Key
Stage 2 SFR of 13 December 2012.
When commenting on floor standards, inspectors should compare the school’s most
recent performance data against the figures below for primary and secondary
schools. It is important to note that a school must be above at least one of the
measures to be deemed to have reached the floor standards. Schools fail to meet
the floor standards if they fail to meet
all three of the targets..
A primary school is deemed to be below the floor standards when
all of these
criteria apply.
Less than 60% of pupils achieve level 4 or above in both English and
mathematics.
Less than the median percentage (92%) make expected progress in English.
Less than the median percentage (90%) make expected progress in
mathematics.
The SFR for Key Stage 2 results is available on:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00217264/
nca-ks2-2011
A secondary school is deemed to be below the floor standards when
all of these
criteria apply.
Less than 40% of pupils achieve five or more GCSEs A*– C (or equivalent),
including English and mathematics.
Less than the median percentage (70%) make expected progress in English.
Less than the median percentage (70%) make expected progress in
mathematics.
The SFR for GCSE and equivalent results is available on:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/recentreleases/a00219
173/gcse-and-equivalent-results. Inspectors should be aware that the requirement to report on floor standards does
not apply
to nursery and infant schools, special schools or pupil referral units.
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Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
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Report Template Guidance
We have been made aware of an apparent inconsistency in the guidance provided to
inspectors in Inspector Update 4 and in the Report template guidance, January
2013. Inspector Update 4 provided inspectors with examples of reporting on
governance in paragraph form and the Report template guidance states that one or
more bullets can be used.
The Report template was set up to allow both styles, as it states “when reporting on
governance, if one bullet point is used…” The guidance therefore shows that
inspectors can use either multiple bullet points or a single bullet point, followed by a
continuous paragraph.
If an inspector decides to use one bullet for governance then they may write that
section in a short, sharp paragraph.
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Registered early years provision managed by the
governing body
We have been alerted to an inaccuracy in paragraph three of the above guidance
document, as highlighted in yellow:
Early years or childcare provision of more than two hours that is
not managed by
the governing body must normally be registered with Ofsted. Where provision
made directly by a
school governing body includes care for children under three
years old, or where at least one child attending is a pupil of the school, it is also
registered by Ofsted.
This suggests that schools have to register provision where a child is a pupil of the
school. This would only need to happen if the provision was only for children under
three (not including rising threes).
The paragraph should read:
Early years or childcare provision of more than two hours that is not managed by the
governing body must normally be registered with Ofsted. Where provision made
directly by a school governing body includes care for children under three years old,
or where no child attending is a pupil of the school, it is also registered by Ofsted.
We will arrange for the document to be updated and published in April 2013, along
with our usual termly review and dissemination of guidance documents.
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Section 5 – Inspector Update 7 – 22 February 2013
Interim assessment letters
The latest batch of interim assessment letters for good schools are being published
on the Ofsted website this month, and can be accessed via the school’s own page.
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Message from Charlie Taylor (Chief Executive of the
Teaching Agency and National College)
The Secretary of State for Education, Michael G
ove, announced on 16 January 2013
that a new executive agency will be created to focus on promoting high-quality
teaching and leadership. This new agency will be formed from the merger of the
Teaching Agency with the National College for School Leadership.
The new agency will formally come into being on 1 April 2013 and I am happy to
confirm that I have accepted the role of chief executive. Until April I will continue in
my existing role at the Teaching Agency and also take on the role of chief executive
of the National College. During this interim period I will be working closely with
Maggie Farrar, who has been acting chief executive of the National College since
October 2012.
This move is the next stage in the Government’s reform programme to raise
standards in schools, with the best leaders and best teachers working together to
develop a self-improving school system.
The National College and the Teaching Agency have worked successfully together on
the development of teaching schools since 2010 and they are on track to designate
500 teaching schools by 2015. It is because of the excellent work of both agencies
to date that the new agency has been made possible. The best schools and their
staff are already driving improvement through initiatives such as School Direct,
specialist leaders of education and the licensed delivery of the National Professional
Qualification for Headship, so it makes sense to support this work through a single
agency.
The new executive agency has not yet been named. This will be done in discussion
with the Department for Education, senior staff of the two agencies and key
stakeholders. The name will be announced in March and the merger will formally
take place on 31 March. The new agency will be fully operational by 1 September.
In the meantime both the National College and the Teaching Agency will continue to
deliver their respective remits whilst beginning the process of aligning and joining up
their approach, particularly in relation to communication and engagement with
schools and early year’s settings.
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