Ofsted inspections – Good schools – most able pupils

By mattwo1 Comment
In this series of articles about "good" schools (according to Ofsted), we'll be looking at Ofsted inspectors' comments regarding high prior attaining pupils. This article is about most able pupils. School Inspection Handbook Paragraph 195 of the most recent Ofsted School Inspection Handbook (September 2018) includes: Inspectors will pay particular attention to whether the most able pupils are making progress towards attaining the highest standards and achieving as well as they should across the curriculum. They will also consider whether the most able pupils are receiving the support they need to reach their full potential. However, as we have previously seen (Greater Depth/High Score Standards), Ofsted's comments regarding the higher standard inclined towards schools being below the National Average. So what do the same inspectors say about the most able pupils. Achieving results Away from the attainment statistics, Ofsted inspectors are more appreciative of the ability of high prior attainers and, when matched up with appropriate expectations, they achieving the results expected for them: The most...
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How does the DfE and Ofsted measure Progress at Key Stage 1?

By mattwoNo Comments
Why should KS1 progress be measured at all? Paragraphs 185 and 187 of Ofsted's School Inspection Handbook, which is the manual for Ofsted inspectors, include the following: 185. Inspectors will take account of current standards and progress, including the school’s own performance information, and make a relevant judgement on academic and other learning outcomes for pupils by evaluating the extent to which all pupils:•progress well from their different starting points and achieve or exceed standards expected for their age nationally (at the end of a key stage), or within the school’s own curriculum...187. In judging achievement, inspectors will give most weight to pupils’ progress. They will take account of pupils’ starting points in terms of their prior attainment and age when evaluating progress. Within this, they will give most weight to the progress of pupils currently in the school, taking account of how this compares with the progress of recent cohorts, where there are any. Inspectors will consider the progress of...
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Ofsted Inspections – Good schools – Key Stage 2 Greater Depth/High Score standard

By mattwoNo Comments
In this series of blog articles, we'll be looking at "good" schools, according to Ofsted. In this article, we'll examine how much weight the Higher Standard has in achieving a "good" rating. Key Stage 2 Greater Depth/High Score standard Perhaps surprising, there were more indications of "good" schools not reaching the national averages than doing so. Generally, the percentage of pupils reaching the higher standard is around the National Average: ...with good proportions of pupils reaching the higher standards. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard was broadly average for writing and mathematics, and above average for reading compared to national results. ...while the proportion reaching the higher standard was above that level. The proportions of pupils achieving and exceeding the expected standards have shown a rising trend in recent years, and exceed national averages. Ofsted can still give a school a "good" rating, even if attainment is below average. The proportions attaining the higher standard in reading and mathematics were below average....not...
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Reception Baseline Assessment Pilot announced

By mattwoNo Comments
News Story - 27 February 2019 The national pilot of the reception baseline assessment will take place from September 2019, go live in 2020, will take around 20 minutes, and will have the following 8 indicators: mathematics tasks (45%-55%)early number early calculation (early addition/subtraction) mathematical language early understanding of shape early literacy, communication and language tasks (45%-55%)early vocabulary phonological awareness early reading early comprehension The response formats include: oral response (30–40%)pointing (25–35%)ordering or moving objects (25–35%) Schools can sign up to the pilot between 1 March and 5 April 2019. The maximum number of marks available will be 45, although some tasks may be omitted that pupils are unlikely to be successful in. Each pupil will be presented with activities which are worth at least 26 marks – any omitted tasks will score zero. It is not a test, and there will be no pass mark. Early Years providers will receive narrative feedback instead of the score. Why is reception baseline being done? The purpose of the reception baseline assessment is to provide an on-entry assessment of pupil attainment...
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Ofsted Inspections – Good schools – Key Stage 2 Attainment

By mattwoNo Comments
In this series of articles, we'll have a look at typical Ofsted comments for schools which have been judged "good" overall in 2018. In this article, we'll look at Ofsted's comments regarding the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of Key Stage 2. Attainment at National averages Generally in good schools, Ofsted inspectors look for results which are broadly in line with the National Average, and they will use provisional (unvalidated) figures when released, especially if the figures were below in previous years: Progress in writing across key stage 2 has improved steadily since the last inspection and is now broadly average.Attainment in mathematics was close to the national average.Provisional information for the end of key stage 2 shows that the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading has risen substantially since 2016 and is now in line with that found nationally. Pupils’ attainment is generally in line with national averages.In 2018, provisional outcomes indicate that most...
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Key Stage 2 Rankings

By mattwoNo Comments
On 13 December 2018 the DfE released the results per school for the KS2 SATs and Teacher Assessments. Would you like to know where your school is in relation to other schools? We have created an analysis for the main measures, showing the percentile ranking for these measures: A "1" indicates that your school is in the top 1% of all schools in England (excluding special schools).A "100" indicates that your schools is in the bottom 1%. This analysis enables you to: Locate your school percentile.Find out how close you were to the top and bottom 10% or 20%.Give you additional evidence to help set your targets for the forthcoming year. Why should I be interested in my school's ranking? Ofsted's Inspection Data Summary report is the document which Ofsted inspectors will read before coming to your school. It highlights: The top 10% and the bottom 10% for any particular year. This is indicated by the percentiles 1 to 10, and 91 to 100.The top 20% and the...
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Ofsted Inspections – Role of Governors

By mattwoNo Comments
In this article, we have a look at how Ofsted has commented on the role of a Governor within a school. What are they expecting to see? What is seen as good practice? What could be improved? We’ll be looking at comments regarding the end of Key Stage 2 Attainment from the 50 judgements released in October 2018. Although the framework has now changed – these comments still give clear indications of what inspectors are looking for. Governors Let's start with a positive.  Some Ofsted inspectors commented on how well governors know the school: Governors know the school well. They are highly skilled and contribute positively.Governors have a sound grasp of the school’s key strengths and weaknesses.The recent changes to the leadership of the school have meant that governors receive timely and transparent information. Governors are insightful, well informed and realistic. They know the school and the community that it serves well. They are ambitious for the school. They are well led and...
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Ofsted Inspections – RI – Key Stage 2 Attainment

By mattwoNo Comments
In this article series, we'll be looking at some of the "Outcomes for pupils" in Ofsted Judgements, in order to see what Ofsted inspectors are concentrating on. Specifically, we'll look at those judgements which overall were requires improvement. In this article, we'll be looking at comments regarding the end of Key Stage 2 Attainment from the 50 judgements released in October 2018. Attainment - Expected Standard There was naturally a high emphasis on the percentage of pupils getting the Expected Standard in Key Stage 2. Some comments concentrated on reading, writing and maths combined: The proportion of pupils achieving the combined expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 has improved but is still below the national average. and sometimes there was a comparison with previous year or years: Provisional results for 2018 show improvements ... but.continues to be below the national average.well below the national average for the last three years. However, there were far more comments (50) regarding for...
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Primary IDSR – Areas to Investigate

By mattwoNo Comments
This series of articles will be looking at Ofsted's Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR). In previous articles, we have looked at other pages in Ofsted's Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR). In this article, we'll look at the first page, "Areas to investigate". In 2016, this used to be called "Strengths and Weakness", but is basically the same thing, categorized by Key Stage. Early Years and Phonics In 2017 there were no "Areas to Investigate" regarding Early Years, either the Good Level of Development or Early Learning Goals (despite there having been 2 Strengths and 1 Weakness in 2016). In 2017 there were 3 Areas to Investigate regarding Year 1 Phonics (90% or above, below 70%, and if more than 10 pupils do not pass), and none regarding Year 2 Phonics. Key Stage 1 For Key Stage 1, the following can be included in your "Areas to Investigate" for maths, reading or writing (note: not science): Attainment in SUBJECT was above average and in the highest 10%. below average and...
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Primary IDSR – Pages 2 to 4

By mattwoNo Comments
This series of articles will be looking at Ofsted's Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR). In the previous articles in this series, we had a look at EYFSP, Phonics, Key Stage 1 and 2 Attainment, Key Stage 2 Progress and Scattergraphs. In this article, we'll have a look at the remaining pages in the IDSR, pages 2 to 4. Key Stage 2 Trends over time Page 4 of your IDSR shows how your school has done compared to other schools over time. This shows a percentile ranking, from 1 to 100. A "1" means that you are in top 1% of schools, anda "100" means that you are in the bottom 1% of schools. Again, figures are greyed out if the cohort size is under 11, as Ofsted will not use results from such a small cohort size in isolation. But beware - if your cohort size is between 6 and 10, then Ofsted may use this data if they are looking at trends. Additionally, figures have...
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