Understanding Ofsted: School Inspections in England – Calls for reform in the grading system and inspection process. Explore the changes and challenges.
Introduction
OFSTED is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services, and Skills in England.
Ofsted’s job is to check how well schools, nurseries, and places where children are cared for are doing.
However, lately, there has been talk about changing how Ofsted does its inspections.
Ofsted’s Job and Grading System
Ofsted’s main job is to visit places where young people learn in England, such as schools and nurseries.
Then, they give these places a score on a scale from 1 to 4:
- Outstanding
- Good
- Requires Improvement
- Inadequate
These scores help parents decide which place is best for their children. As of December 2022, about 88% of schools in England had outstanding scores.
Why Outstanding Schools Get Revisited
In the past, schools that got outstanding scores were visited every four years.
However, this changed in 2011 when they stopped checking outstanding schools so often.
They wanted to focus more on schools that needed help. However, this meant some outstanding schools had only been checked briefly.
In 2020, the government decided to start checking outstanding schools again.
They wanted parents to have the latest information. 2020 there were around 3,400 outstanding schools, and Ofsted plans to visit them again by 2025.
The latest data from Ofsted shows that out of 358 outstanding schools checked between September 2023 and December 2023:
- 47% remained outstanding
- 48% got a good score
- 4% were told they needed to improve
- 0% were rated as bad
However, it is important to know that many of these schools have changed significantly since their last inspection.
What Happens During an Inspection
When Ofsted visits, they spend up to two days watching classes, talking to teachers and students, and checking everything in the school.
Schools usually find out about the inspection the day before.
They can only cancel or change it in special situations.
Ofsted decides how good a school is by looking at different things based on their rules.
They look at how well the school is doing overall, how good the education is, how students behave, how teachers are getting better, and how well the school is run.
They also check if the school is keeping students safe. Then, they give the school a grade.
What Happens If a School Gets a Lower Grade
A school must improve in all aspects of the inspection to get a higher grade.
This can be tough for the school because it can affect how many students go there, how happy everyone feels, and what people think about the school.
After the Inspection
- Outstanding schools get checked again in four years and get advice on improving.
- Schools that need to improve get checked again in 30 months.
- If a school is bad, it becomes a special kind called a sponsored academy. Another good school or charity helps them.
- Starting in June, if a school is mostly good but not so good at keeping students safe, inspectors return in three months to see if things got better.
- If a school thinks the grade it got is wrong, the head teacher can complain. A different inspector who was not there the first time looked at the complaint. If there are still problems, they can talk about them the day after the inspection.
People Want Changes
Ruth Perry, a head teacher, died by suicide after an Ofsted inspection. This raised concerns about how these inspections affect school leaders emotionally.
Some people say:
- Inspectors need better training to spot when school leaders are stressed.
- They want a more detailed grading system that helps both schools and parents.
- The Department for Education says inspections are really important and a legal rule to make sure schools do a good job.
Efforts are being made to address these concerns, like providing mental health training for inspectors.
Some groups and political parties, including the Labour Party, suggest moving from the simple grading system to a more detailed report card approach.
Ultimately, Ofsted’s role in checking and improving schools in England is vital.
However, conversations and worries about the process show that changes may be needed to make it fairer and less stressful for everyone involved.
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