Ofsted Curriculum: Intent and Implementation

Ofsted Curriculum: Intent and Implementation

The new Ofsted Inspection Framework speaks a lot about Curriculum. Whilst the new directed focus has been welcomed, there is a lot of misunderstanding about what this means in practice. Schools are buying in help from outside sources against Ofsted Advice and Ofsted are constantly claiming there is no "Ofsted curriculum". So what will inspectors be looking for in your school curriculum from September 2019 onwards? What do they mean by a good or outstanding "quality of education"? In this article, we hope to help answer these questions by looking at Amanda Spielman's recent speech, the results of the Ofsted research project and the Ofsted School inspection Handbook. Amanda Spielman In a speech in 2019 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Amanda Spielman was discussing the Ofsted research into Curriculum and what this means moving forward. The quality of education judgement does consider how well pupils are doing in national assessments and qualifications. But this should be the reflection of what children have...
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Ofsted’s concerns regarding Curriculum Design

Ofsted’s concerns regarding Curriculum Design

In our previous article, we had a look at Ofsted indicators regarding strong/weak Curriculum Design. In this article, we'll have a look at some of Ofsted's concerns. Curriculum Design What is curriculum? Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector of Ofsted, has said: The curriculum really is the most important thing to think about as educators. As I said earlier, it’s the ‘what’. The very essence of what we want children to learn. It’s how we prepare them, as best we can, for what they might face next. And to leave children unprepared is, frankly, a dereliction of duty, I’m sure you’d agree. ... Sequencing does have a part to play here. ... So a degree of signposting, of showing children the way, is needed. It’s not enough to simply put everything out there and hope that something sticks.This isn’t about having some beautiful tick list of what a child should do, and when. If a child is having difficulty with something, it’s about stepping in...
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Ofsted’s assessment of Curriculum

Ofsted’s assessment of Curriculum

In previous articles, we took a look at what Ofsted's inspections under the new Inspection Framework will look like from September 2019, and how they may assess Work Scrutinies and Lesson Visits. In this article, we will look at how Ofsted may assess Curriculum design, based on the results of the research project that took place to help create the new Framework. Assessment of Curriculum The 25 indicators used in the research model will no doubt be narrowed down by the first inspections in September 2019. They revolved around: Intent Rationale, Ambition, Concepts, Implementation Subject leadership, Subject knowledge, Equitable delivery, Planning the progression model, Breadth and depth, and Assessment. Of the 25 quality indicators, Ofsted's research has found that some of them were either more highly correlated with each other in models or were considered by Inspectors are more essential. These are: Intent There is a clear and coherent rationale for the curriculum design. The curriculum is at least as ambitious as the standards set by the national curriculum/external qualifications. Curriculum principles include the requirements of centrally prescribed aims Implementation Subject...
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Ofsted Deep Dive

Ofsted Deep Dive

So what is a Deep Dive? During an inspection, inspectors are not going to concentrate on the ambitions or intentions of senior leaders, but rather "let's see that in action together". The Deep Dives are principally to gather evidence in relation to "quality of education", and the lesson visits can also gather evidence in relation to "behaviour and attitudes". They will have a series of deep dives on particular subjects: For secondary schools, they will sample four to six subjects. For primary schools, they will sample three to five subjects. It will always include reading, it will usually include maths, and there will also be one or more foundation subjects, including one that is taught during the inspection. In small schools, this may be adapted as appropriate. Evidence Each deep dive will look at the following, usually jointly with school and curriculum leaders, and will try to connect these different pieces of evidence: Senior Leaders Evaluating intent for the curriculum including their understanding of its implementation and impact. Curriculum...
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Ofsted Inspections – Outstanding schools – Work in books

This series of articles examines Ofsted Inspectors' comments, as published in their Inspection Reports, in relation to "Outstanding" schools. In this article, we will have a look at work in pupils' books. Work in Books In the 2018 Ofsted School inspection handbook, which was the current one at the time of these inspections, Ofsted said that (my emphasis added): 188. Inspectors will gather evidence about the progress of current pupils through: • observations in lessons • discussions with pupils about their understanding of things they have been learning about • scrutiny of pupils’ acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills over time as shown in their work, including that in their books • the school’s own information, taking account of the quality and rigour of the assessment on which it is based. However, in the draft 2019 handbook, Ofsted are proposing to essentially remove the last bullet point. They say: 178. While they will consider the school’s use of assessment (see paras...
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Ofsted Inspections – Outstanding Schools – Most Able pupils

In this series of articles, we are looking at Ofsted inspectors' comments on schools which they have judged to be outstanding. In this article, we'll have a look at their comments regarding the "most able" pupils (typically pupils which a high Prior Attainment). The attainment and progress of most able pupils It is not surprising that in these schools the most able pupils are working above age-related expectations. However, it seems that these pupils exceed even the high attainment shown nationally for high prior attainers: Teachers also ensure that the most able are regularly challenged to reach and exceed high targets. The most able pupils made outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics.The most able pupils in the school attain particularly well compared with similar pupils nationally. It should be noted that, under the KS2 Progress calculation methodology, there is a lower cap on how much progress can be measured for high prior attainers compared to others. For example, a Level 3 student...
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Ofsted inspections – Outstanding schools – Early years provision

In this series of articles, we are looking at Ofsted inspector's comments regarding Outstanding schools. In this article, we will be looking at their comments in relation to Early Years Provision. Early Years Provision Ofsted comments about the dedication of the staff: Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants in the early years are extremely dedicated to ensuring that children get the best start.Leadership is highly effective, with a strong emphasis on providing care and nurture as well as challenge and ambition.The high quality of phonics teaching contributes to this success. and their ambition for the children: They plan activities which consistently provide the right level of difficulty for all ability groups.Leaders have ensured that the early years curriculum is interesting, engaging, broad and balanced. Children develop curiosity and want to find out more. Most activities have a clear purpose behind them and build upon what the children have previously learned to do. Two schools which were judged "Outstanding" overall were only "Good" for Early Years: However,...
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What do Ofsted inspections look like?

What do Ofsted inspections look like?

With the launch of the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and School Inspection Handbook, what will inspections under the new framework be actually like? For the latest updated version – click here Ofsted Inspections There will be main parts of the inspection regime: Pre-inspection Deep dives Bringing it together Most inspections will generally be two days (apart from smaller schools), but preparation will start the day before. Next Steps https://youtu.be/DI4Fc2yizI0 Pre-inspection Ofsted will phone the school by 2pm on the day before the inspection, to let the school know who is coming, confirm things such as number of pupils on roll. They will also send emails requests that certain information (attendance analysis, exclusions, bad behaviour records) is available to inspectors by 8 a.m. the next day (inspectors will not arrive on school before this time). There will then be a more substantive call with the headteacher (or other school leaders if not available). This will focus on three aspects: . The school's context, and progress since the previous inspection including elements for...
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Ofsted Inspections – Outstanding Schools – Phonics

In this series of articles, we are looking at Ofsted inspectors' comments made when inspecting "outstanding" schools. In this article, we'll see what those comments were regarding phonics. Comparison with the National Average As might be expected for outstanding schools, the percentage of pupils who have passed the Year 1 phonics is above the national average. And it generally is not a one-off. Attainment in the phonics screening check is consistently above national expectations. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been consistently above the national average for the last three years. Inspectors also look at those pupils who don't pass in Year 1. Nearly all of them (but not necessarily 100%) pass by the end of Year 2. Most of the very small number of pupils not achieving the standard by the end of Year 1 go on to meet it by the end of Year 2. By the end of Year 2, almost...
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Ofsted Inspections – Outstanding Schools – Attainment

In this series of articles, we are looking at 42 primary-phase schools which Ofsted has deemed to be "outstanding". In this article, we'll have a look at attainment. Outcomes exceeding National Standards Perhaps unsurprising for "outstanding" schools, school's attainment is above average: The proportion of current pupils achieving higher standards in reading and mathematics in Year 6 is well above the most recent national averages...By the end of key stage 1, pupils attain standards that are consistently above those of other pupils nationally in reading, writing, mathematics and science.Pupils' excellent personal skills, as well as their academic achievements, mean that they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education. In 2018, 98% of Year 6 pupils attained the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Ofsted's inspectors sometimes comment on why this is: ... because of the high expectations of staff and very effective teaching. The highly positive outcomes in mathematics are due to leaders’ highly effective approach to teaching and assessing...
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