Ofsted finds parents ‘coerced’ into home education
According to a new Ofsted report, students are being pulled out of school to be educated at home with little notice. Parents are advised that students should not switch to home education simply to solve difficulties in schools. The report – based on a small study of families in the East Midlands area, found that students with special educational needs, medical needs and behavioural issues were all reasons why children had been moved from secondary school to being educated at home. Parents “commonly viewed home education as the only option for them”. Some parents had tried their children in other schools, but found these to also be unsuitable or unsuccessful. The report also found that some parents had also moved their child into home education despite not wanting to. The report warns that in some cases children can be moved to home education on very little notice – “the period between a parent finding out about the possibility of home education and their child leaving school can be as little as one day”. It found schools and councils are “rarely” told about a child switching to home education before they leave school, with some schools only being notified this by a parent’s letter. The study also considered the issue of off-rolling, which is when students that are considered problematic or academically low-achieving are removed from school rolls. “Our research did find examples that support other evidence that parents have been coerced into moving to home education. “For example, one local authority had previously received letters from parents asking to move a child to home education that were written on school-headed paper but signed by parents.” “Where inspections identify pressure being applied to parents to game the system in the interests of the school, directly or indirectly, we will consider this to be off-rolling. “Unfortunately, our evidence suggests that letting children go can be an easy option for schools. Participants were aware that schools can also apply pressure to parents or children indirectly.”
What to expect in an inspection, from an Ofsted leader
An interview with Ofsted’s Deputy Director for Schools, Matthew Purves, has revealed that school leaders and teachers believe Ofsted has the right focus for the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) which will be launched in September. The interview, conducted by primary school curriculum provider Cornerstones Education, is the third in a series with Ofsted, as part of their commitment to help schools understand what to expect from the new framework. Mr Purves has been a leading force in the creation of the framework and spoke with Caroline Pudner, Curriculum Developer, Cornerstones Education on ‘The Curriculum’ podcast to explain some of the outcomes of the EIF consultation, which received 15,000 responses, and the piloting of the new inspection model with a wide cross-section of 200 schools. In the conversation, Ofsted’s Deputy Director for Schools, Matthew Purves, explains: “The response from senior leaders and teachers to the question, ‘Do we have the focus right in this framework?’, was overwhelmingly positive. Of course, we have taken feedback from the consultation on board and as a result some significant changes to the original draft framework have been made. For example, before an inspection, inspectors will now have an educationally focused phone call with the senior leaders of a school to discuss the areas of focus for the inspection, rather than preparing for an inspection on site, which was not universally popular as part of the draft framework.” Senior leaders and teachers who have been involved with the piloting have commented that whilst some elements of the inspection, such as safeguarding are very similar, the core curricular conversation feels really different with inspectors talking to teachers and children a lot more as part of their in-depth review.” Further highlights from the Ofsted interview are as follows: Do what’s right for your children: Throughout the conversation, Mr Purves, aims to reassure leaders and teachers that they must continue to do what is right for their children, in their school. He advises teachers not to do things purely because they think they will please Ofsted. Instead, Ofsted is looking to see the choices that have been made, and that work being done is right for the children in that specific school. Clarity of vision for your curriculum: Inspectors will first be looking to take a top-level view of a school’s curriculum, through conversations with curriculum leaders, to find out whether leaders have a really clear vision of where they want their pupils to get to and what their ‘end points’ are. Then, how does this translate to the individual lessons, and the sequence of lessons that are being taught. The ‘deep dive’ approach: As part of a school’s inspection, inspectors will undertake an in-depth, intense look at four to six different subject areas within the school. This is something Ofsted is calling “deep dives”. The purpose of “deep dives” is for inspectors to be able to better understand the quality of education being offered throughout the school and whether curriculum intent is being achieved within the lessons and work that children are doing. Reducing teacher workload: Ofsted hopes that a reduced focus on schools’ internal data will have a positive impact on teachers’ and leaders’ workload and will take the pressure off producing or managing data for Ofsted, to allow them to focus on the right things. Inspectors will not look at schools’ internal attainment and progress data, however they will be interested in schools’ use of data and what is being done with the data findings. The importance of reading and vocabulary: Reading will continue to be a big part of the new framework and inspectors will always take a ‘deep dive’ in reading within primary schools as it is so fundamental to children being able to access a rich curriculum. Mr Purves also stressed the importance of vocabulary, the understanding of words and their meanings, at primary level. He said, a focus on strong reading and vocabulary teaching is how we’re going to close the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged children. Simon Hickton, Managing Director, Cornerstones Education said: “At Cornerstones, we believe that a broad, balanced and connected primary curriculum can have the power to unlock a child’s potential and love of learning, so we are delighted that Ofsted is putting the curriculum at the heart of its new framework. “It’s also reassuring to hear that Ofsted is extremely mindful of schools having a curriculum which is right for them, and their children, as well as recognising the importance of having a clear vision for what they want to achieve. This is something which we really encourage and enable our schools to do through the flexibility of the Cornerstones Curriculum and I hope that senior leaders and teachers will also take some reassurance from our conversation with Matthew.” The Cornerstones Curriculum is taught in over 2,000 schools to 500,000 children. It is written and developed by Simon Hickton and Melanie Moore, both of whom have over 20 years’ primary teaching and leadership experience. Following a study visit to northern Italy, where Melanie learnt about the innovative and inspiring Reggio Emilia approach to early years learning, she was inspired to create a primary school curriculum that would develop the skills and knowledge required by the national curriculum, as well as being creatively stimulating and allowing children to explore their own fascinations. Realising that writing a curriculum was going to be a full-time job, she left teaching and established Cornerstones Education with Simon in 2010. Started in 2017 ‘The Curriculum’ podcast series has had over 19,000 listens with listeners in the UK, USA, Australia, Japan, Dubai, Germany, France and China. Previous interviewees have included Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Sean Harford, Ofsted’s National Director of Education, Professor Sam Twiselton, Director of Education at Sheffield Hallam University and Hywel Roberts, an inspirational educational speaker, author and teaching adviser. Link to listen to the full Ofsted podcast: podcasts.apple.com
Lincroft Academy receives prestigious Artsmark Platinum Award
Pupils and staff at Lincroft Academy are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Platinum Award. Artsmark Platinum is Arts Council England’s highest award for schools and education settings that champion cultural education. It celebrates settings that embrace the arts across the curriculum, influencing other educational organisations and bringing them to life for children and young people. In order to achieve their Artsmark Award, Lincroft Academy, rated Good by Ofsted and part of the successful Sharnbrook Academy Federation, had to develop their arts and culture provision to embed a broad and balanced curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school. Lincroft Academy was supported by the Royal Opera House Bridge in planning and developing their initial objectives. The Royal Opera House Bridge worked alongside the school at various stages to support their Artsmark Award achievement. Sally Manser, Head of Royal Opera House Bridge, said: “We’re delighted that Lincroft Academy has been awarded Artsmark Platinum, in recognition of their achievements in developing the arts and culture in their own school and championing creative and cultural learning in their wider community. Through Artsmark, Lincroft Academy will continue to incorporate art and culture into every pupil’s life, learning, knowledge and understanding, helping them to build skills, resilience, confidence and character. On receiving the award, Lincroft Academy Principal, Mark Duke said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Platinum Award. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education and we look forward to continue to grow with Artsmark.” Iain Denning, Executive Principal of Sharnbrook Academy Federation, said: “This is a fantastic accolade for Lincroft Academy. All schools within Sharnbrook Academy Federation focus on helping our students achieve not only strong results in the academic subjects but on providing a broad, high-quality education across the arts. Lincroft Academy is a superb example of this.” Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said: “I would like to congratulate Lincroft Academy on their award. As an Artsmark school, Lincroft exemplifies how the Award can help schools to achieve a broad and balanced curriculum, ensuring that each of its pupils is given the opportunity to explore and build a love of the arts that will remain with them as they go through adult life.” For more information or images, contact Tracy Bannister,tbannister@saf.org.uk
Teachers need more support to tackle self-harm in schools
84% of secondary school teachers have taught a student who they believe is self-harming in the last year, according to a survey by mental health charity YoungMinds. YoungMinds is highlighting the need to ensure that teachers have support in identifying and responding to self-harm. The charity has found that often teachers are the first point of call for students who need mental health support, but have limited training on how to respond or what action to take. The charity carried out a survey of more than 3,000 secondary school teachers, which showed that: – 84% of secondary school teachers had taught a child they believe is self-harming in the last year – 77% of secondary school teachers do not believe they have had sufficient training on children and young people’s mental health – While 36% feel confident knowing how to support young people with mental health issues, 35% do not feel confident. – While 39% feel confident knowing how and when to refer young people to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, 37% do not feel confident. [1] Research by NHS Digital in 2018 suggested that 48% of young people had sought help from their teachers when struggling with their mental health – a higher figure than any for other professional. [2] Emma Thomas, CEO of YoungMinds, said: “The vast majority of secondary school teachers have first-hand experience of teaching a child who is self-harming, but too often they haven’t had enough training or support to know how best to respond to their needs. “The reasons why a young person may self-harm are multiple and complex, but it’s vital that when they reach out to someone about it, they are met with the best possible help and advice. “We know that teachers do a great job of supporting young people in many instances, but it can also be hard to know what to say, when to take action or how to support someone. “That’s why we’ve created a range of resources for teachers, to help them feel more confident in supporting a young person who may seek their help. And we also need to make sure that schools have the skills and support they need to ensure that they can make wellbeing and mental health a priority.” The YoungMinds resources include: – A video about self-harm – Advice for having a conversation about self-harm – Information from young people who have experience of self-harm – A guide for how to help a young person self-harming Chris Martin, Chief Executive of The Mix, said: “In our last survey of users at The Mix we found that there are a large number of professionals, such as teachers and GPs, looking for information on behalf of young people. “With an increase in self-harm being reported and teachers sometimes being the first port of call, it’s important that they have the knowledge and confidence to offer support and signpost young people to services that can help, such as The Mix. We know that YoungMinds’s new resource pack will be an important tool to ensure that young people can get access to the support they need.” YoungMinds also offers training courses for teachers on self-harm. And its 360° Schools’ Community offers advice and support to teachers about wellbeing and mental health. More than 6,000 teachers and school staff have signed up to the community. YoungMinds is also currently campaigning for wellbeing to be made a priority in schools, and encouraging supporters to #TellOfsted why they think this is important. For Self-Harm Awareness Day, The Mix created a video campaign to raise awareness around different types of self-harm, and the feelings that can lead to self-harm. Three individual videos tell the stories of three young people, with voiceovers in the form of poems to tell their stories. It is hoped that this will also assist teachers, family and friends to spot signs of self-harm that might not be obvious and offer support. The videos also remind users that, if they are struggling with any of these issues, The Mix is there to help.
NewVIc achieves Ofsted outstanding
Newham Sixth Form College’s latest Ofsted inspection has praised the college for being outstanding in their provision for personal development, behaviour and welfare. Students were found to achieve excellent results at the college. The report highlighted that “the proportion of students who successfully achieved their qualifications was high” with many students achieving top grades. The report, published on the Ofsted website today (22 January 2019) confirms NewVIc as a diverse and collaborative community with excellent academic success, personal development and progression. Ofsted commented on how students “benefit significantly” from the specialist A Level Honours programme and how “students on vocational programmes make good progress”. Many students we found to progress to university with an increasing number securing high level apprenticeships. NewVIc’s expert teaching was celebrated with teachers being described as “very enthusiastic” practitioners who “motivate students to have high aspirations and make good progress”. Teachers’ dedication to students resulted in the majority of students meeting or exceeding their expected grades. Inspectors were particularly impressed by the college’s focus on personalised support, unique opportunities, and tailored skills development. The extensive programme of sports and other enrichment activities such as debating; sports clubs; women’s club and voluntary work was found to be extremely popular with many students participating. NewVIc principal and chief executive Mandeep Gill commented: “I’m delighted that Ofsted has recognised NewVIc’s outstanding contribution to education in the borough. As a college, we are very proud of our broad offer and the wide ranging achievements of students with different abilities and ambitions. I am very much in favour of giving every student the opportunity to achieve on their terms. Our outstanding judgement reflects this.” Inspectors gave emphasis to how much students enjoy life at NewVIc and noted the college’s warm, happy and welcoming environment. Inspectors described student behaviour as “courteous to each other and to staff” and commended the college for ensuring “that there is a culture of tolerance, respect and safety for all students.” Inspectors also praised the college for the individual support and care given to students, including those requiring additional learning support and complex needs. Looking to the future, Mandeep Gill added: “NewVIc will continue its drive to meet the needs of all young people, giving each and every one a chance to create the future they want for themselves. Whether that is a place at Oxford or Cambridge; an English or maths GCSE; an apprenticeship; or a first ever qualification, NewVIc will continue to offer the most inclusive, exciting and engaging post-16 education experience for all the young people in Newham.” Key strengths from the report: ● Outstanding personal development ● Outstanding support and welfare ● High and increasing proportion of student achievement ● High grades on vocational courses ● Good outcomes for learners ● Excellent access to work experience ● Good teaching, learning and assessment ● High-quality careers advice and guidance ● Extensive programme of sports and enrichment ● Strong student voice ● Collaborative and inclusive ethos ● Good leadership and management ● Strong partnerships with employers and universities ● High-quality facilities and resources Find out more about what NewVIc has to offer, visit our Open Day on 26 January 2019. NewVIc offers a wide range of A Level and vocational courses. Prospectuses and more information are available by calling 020 7473 4110.
Recently Merged College Judge To Be The Best In Birmingham
Staff and students at South & City College Birmingham and Bournville College are celebrating after receiving a “Good” Ofsted grade across all areas, just fifteen months after the two establishments merged. The college, with campuses in six locations across the city, is now judged to be the best Further Education College in Birmingham. The Ofsted report follows a successful inspection which took place in November 2018, where inspectors observed lessons, met with staff, students, governors, employers and key stakeholders. Inspectors were impressed with the achievement rates of students who leave the college to go on to pursue higher education, employment, promotion or training having developed good practical and vocational skills under the guidance of highly-skilled teachers. The report highlights the college’s inclusive environment and the progress students make, adding that “students benefit from highly effective pastoral guidance and support, which means that they remain on their course”. The personal development, behaviour and welfare of students were also judged to be “Good”. The inspection report highlighted structured and meaningful work experience and a comprehensive programme of guest speakers and enrichment activities, all of which contribute towards the development of students’ skills for employment. The inspection also included the newly established Bournville College Vocational Academy for 14-16-year-old students. The Academy was praised for a broad and balanced curriculum, strong and productive relationships between staff and pupils and for the progress pupils make in a safe environment. Principal, Mike Hopkins, commented: “Coming so soon after the merger with Bournville College, we are delighted with the inspection outcome and how it clearly shows the college is totally focused on its students. It also shows what incredible, dedicated and capable staff we have. Anyone considering where to study only has to read the Ofsted report to see that no matter who you are, this is the college where you will be supported, be safe and above all else will achieve your qualifications. We are now beginning our journey from “Good” to “Outstanding”.” Each year, South & City College Birmingham supports the education and training of over 22,000 individuals. For further information, visit www.sccb.ac.uk
Ofsted’s new Vision: Benchmarking your MATs performance
In light of the recent announcement that Ofsted[1]will focus less on exam results and place emphasis on the quality of teaching, it’s more important than ever that Multi-Academy Trusts – MATs – are spending their time on creating a rich curriculum learning rather than data crunching. Today, there are 1532 MATs[2]throughout the UK and this number is expected to continue to grow. Data analysis is one of the most important measurers within MATs. On a student level, a Management Information Systems (MIS) allows teachers to pinpoint individual student progression and monitor attainment or behaviour. On a school level it aggregates data to highlight overall performance and benchmark nationally. From September 2019, inspectors will want to see the assessment information MATs use to understand how pupils are performing and, crucially, what MATs do with the information to support better pupil achievement. One factor central to this change in approach is the necessity for a robust, reliable data system.Having a robust IT system in place allows easy access of information enabling MATs to easily extract and manipulate data. This assures the best possible outcomes for learners and enables schools to implement interventions and evidence effectiveness during Ofsted inspection. The Power of Big Data Historically, data used in schools tended to be based around personal information, contact details and attendance information. Now, data has become more contextual and schools can delve deeper into the information they hold to explore variables such as deprivation, language proficiencies and mobility. Teachers have told us that this information gives them a far deeper insight into their students, which in turn helps strengthen their connection with teachers and ultimately shape how learning takes place. Teacher understanding, acceptance and use of systems is invaluable to the successful use of school data. When powerful data is combined with the experience of talented practitioners to bring about change, its power truly comes to life. MiS canenable teachers to easily record pupil progress, set targets and analyse all assessment, attendance and behaviour across the whole school. This is particularly important to MATs as development and performance analytics are often carried out centrally. A MIS allows schools to track which pupils are persistent absentees, what percentage these represent of all pupils, and how their absence patterns are changing over time. If early interventions are put in place with these pupils prompted by this data, these are much more effective in the long-term. Data systems also allow for further areas to be revealed, such as whether there’s consistent cover for staff absence, relevant clearance certificates, or where and when SEND pupils need additional support. By bringing live contextual data into their assessment mark books, users can immediately identify any interventions required. For example, if certain learners are not making the progress expected throughout the Autumn term, interventions can be planned for the Spring term. Rather than waiting until the end of the year to address these issues the system can help teachers and heads to intervene immediately. Assembly Analytics MAT data shouldn’t only offer insight; it should ultimately give a tangible path to improve academic performance and the efficiency of central-office operations. Collaborative approaches to MIS data are becoming commonplace. RM Integris has recently partnered with Assembly Analytics, a data analysis tooldeveloped specifically for MATs, with input from Ark, Astrea, Unity Schools Partnership and Windsor Academy Trusts. Assembly Analytics combines data automatically from multiple packages andconnects to a range of MIS, finance and assessment systems. This allows teachers, heads and senior management to view live contextualised data from each academy and pull together like-for-like data to view overall trends in one, simple-to-use dashboard. This simplifies the assessment process, allowing for changes and actions to be made, but saves time for all staff. Joshua Perry, Director of Assembly said: “Data analysis is an incredibly powerful management tool when used correctly, but too often in the past, it has been a time-consuming burden for schools with unclear benefits. That’s why Assembly have been working with RM to provide fully automated MAT analytics that simplifies the way schools glean insights from their data. Assembly Analytics crunches data from Integris and a range of other sources, including leading standardised assessment and finance systems. Our visual dashboards then present a MAT’s own data alongside meaningful benchmarks derived from national datasets, so leaders can quickly identify areas requiring management attention.” Optimise Learning With a clear set of objectives for improvement and a robust MIS, MATs can use their data much more effectively to optimise learning and maximise central-office functionalities. MATs have complex data analysis needs; system features like automation, aggregation and benchmarking are all critical for efficient and effective usage. This helps to ensure that resources are well-spent and learning outcomes improved. MATs seek a greater level of information from their systems and are recognising the potential to fully exploit the power of data to monitor progress, attendance and behaviours. MIS ensure that teaching is effective, and students are benefitting from a rich education. The new Ofsted framework aims to ignite conversation during inspection and complement school’s performance. With an effective data system, MATs have the power to deliver a deeper understanding of their trust and key recommendations for the future. For more information and advice, visit www.rm.com/products/rm-integris [1]Gov.uk 2018 Chief Inspector sets out vision for new Education Inspection Framework [Online] Available at: www.gov.uk/government/news/chief-inspector-sets-out-vision-for-new-education-inspection-framework [2]gov.uk. 2018. Get information about schools. [ONLINE] Available at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. [Accessed 8 October 2018]
Schools offered free service to help manage Ofsted inspections and improve results
Schools across England are being offered a high-tech solution to prepare for Ofsted inspections and improve results free of charge. Bluewave Education is offering its award-winning Common Inspection Frame work module for free to schools, as leaders face increasing budgetary challenges in the coming year. Managing director of Bluewave Education, Keith Wright, said: “Accurate assessment of a schools strengths and areas for development is an essential requirement for school improvement and school inspection. “For more than a decade Bluewave Education has provided school leaders with the structure, guidance and mechanisms to enable rigorous self-evaluation and facilitate the school improvement process. “With schools facing another year of financial uncertainty, our contribution to the sector is to remove some of the cost burden and to help them move on from the use of outdated systems based around paper and basic Word documents. “Our experience is that where schools make this transition, they rarely go back.” Bluewave SWIFT was developed by a group of education leaders who wanted to find a practical, modern day solution to managing school improvement and dealing more effectively with the processes involved. SWIFT allows schools to: – Create a clear and structured whole school self-evaluation – Identify and put in place key school improvement priorities – with direct links to school improvement plans* – Automatically feed Ofsted SEF/Common Inspection Framework evidence into other reports e.g. Safeguarding, Behaviour, Pupil Premium, Governance* – Include any or all of your staff can contribute to whole-school self-evaluation – Create departmental SEF’s/Common Inspection Frameworks Ofsted facility for academy chains In addition to offering their SEF for free to all schools, Bluewave Education is also offering a facility for academy chains, federations and Multi-Academy Trusts, whereby a Common Inspection Framework can be distributed to their family of schools and the responses can be aggregated for analysis and reporting. Mr Wright said: “This supports so many positive approaches to school-led improvement and it leads to far greater awareness and collaboration around strategic planning. “The only cost is a one-off set up fee determined by the number of schools in the family. “Whether we like it or not, schools have to act more like businesses every day. We help schools to think like a school and where necessary, work like a business. “This is recognised in our BETT award for supporting institutional leadership and management but most importantly in the feedback we get from the schools we work with”. For more help in preparing for Ofsted, see bluewavemosaic.com
Ofsted head criticises ‘one size fits all’ education system
Ofsted head, Sir Michael Wilshaw has criticised the ‘one size fits all’ secondary education system, which he said is letting down students. The chief inspector of schools believes the lack of high-calibre vocational training for those who don’t choose the university route is one of the reasons for the UK’s record on youth unemployment. He says the ‘one size fits all’ system lets down less academic pupils and the education system in England, as it stands, does not offer enough opportunities for those who do not succeed at GCSEs to set them up for the world of work. In his address on Monday to the CentreForum education thinktank, Sir Michael Wilshaw is expected to call for a more “inclusive” approach to education. Michael Mercieca, CEO of Young Enterprise said: “I welcome Sir Michael Wilshaw’s argument that the ‘one size fits all’ education system doesn’t benefit all young people. “Less academic young people should not be left behind, and we agree that education provision for children who do not get C grades or above at GCSE, or who don’t want to pursue an academic path, needs improving. “A strong academic curriculum is important, but we also need to think outside of academia and consider those key skills which all young people need to develop for when they do enter the world of work, such as resilience, confidence and communication. Surveys carried out by organisations such as the CBI and Pearson, and the British Chambers of Commerce have found that businesses place a strong emphasis on the key skills young people have. “These skills are even more important for those who don’t have a strong academic record, as they complement academic learning and can improve results later on if developed from a young age.”