The consultation for early years, schools and further education, which runs until 22 April, reveals plans for a ‘five-point grading scale’ from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’, effective from November.
Under the proposals, the inspection process will be better tailored to the phase and type of provider. New inspection ‘toolkits’ list the standards that each type of provider will be evaluated against.
Other plans include focusing more on inclusion within inspection, covering how well providers support vulnerable and disadvantaged children and those with SEND. Ofsted is also proposing to include more ‘contextual data’ such as local are demographics so inspectors can understand the circumstances in which providers are operating and to assess their work in context.
Grading Scale
To better inform parents in a ‘simple format as well as drive higher standards for children and learners’, Ofsted is proposing a colour coded 5-point grading scale to evaluate more areas of a provider’s work ‘at-a-glance’. This will be accompanied by short summaries of inspectors’ in more detail, it says.
‘The scale will allow inspectors to highlight success when things are working well, provide reassurance that leaders are taking the right action where improvement is needed, and identify where more urgent action is required to avoid standards declining. As well as giving parents more nuanced information, this approach will help reduce pressure on staff - by presenting a balanced picture of practice across more areas, not a single overall grade’, explains the inspectorate.
It is proposing the following scale:
Exemplary (highest quality provision) – a provider where all evaluation areas are graded as at least secure and, within an evaluation area that is consistently strong, there is a feature of practice that could be considered as exemplary.
- Strong – practice is consistently secure across different year groups, key stages and subjects/aspects of learning. Leaders are working above and beyond the legal and professional standards expected of them
- Secure – the provider is offering a secure standard of education. This includes meeting the legal requirements and the expectations set out in non-statutory guidance, as well as the professional standards required of the particular type of provision, where applicable
- Attention needed – some aspects of provision are inconsistent, limited in scope or impact and/or not fully meeting the legal requirements, the expectations set out in non-statutory guidance, or the professional standards required, where applicable. However, inspectors have determined that leaders have the capacity and means to make the necessary improvements.
- Causing concern (lowest quality provision) – needs urgent action to provide a suitable standard of education and/or care for children and learners.
According to Ofsted, the middle three grades would typically capture where most providers would sit across the range of proposed evaluation areas, which, for early years are:
- Leadership and governance.
- Curriculum.
- Developing teaching.
- Achievement.
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines.
- Children’s welfare and well-being.
- Inclusion
- Safeguarding, graded as either met or not met.
As well as the survey, Ofsted is running focus groups. It says over the coming months, it will test its report cards and visit providers across all education remits to ‘refine and improve’ its proposals.
A report on the outcomes of the consultation will be published in the summer.
‘Our new top “exemplary” grade will help raise standards'.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said, ‘Our mission is to raise standards and improve the lives of children, particularly the most disadvantaged. Today’s proposals for a new Ofsted Report Card and a new way of inspecting are designed to do just that.
‘Our new top “exemplary” grade will help raise standards, identifying world-class practice that should be shared with the rest of the country.
‘We also hope that this more balanced, fairer approach will reduce the pressure on professionals working in education, as well as giving them a much clearer understanding of what we will be considering on inspection.’
- Ofsted has produced a video to explain how the report cards might look, watch it here
