Preparing for Ofsted

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Preparing for Ofsted

• From a Secondary Perspective
• Tony Quinn
• Bartley Green School

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Background

• Bartley Green School -
• Located in the south west of Birmingham
• 11 16 with c.853 pupils
• SEN statemented pupils 12 / FSM 37
• 77 A - C grades (48 with Eng and Maths)
• CVA 1078 (2nd highest in the country)
• Outstanding Ofsted in all categories March
  2008
• anthony.quinn_at_bgtc.bham.sch.uk

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Know your Data

• RAISE ON LINE Dec/ January
• Internal verified data can you show
  improvement?
• External verified data - SATs/ GCSEs/ APS
• if only we knew what we know at HP!
• quoted in Fullan s Leading in a Culture of
  Change (2001)

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Know your data

• Bartley Green Experience English/ Science at
  KS3
• Use data experts to provide the training and
  access to ALL staff but mainly SLT/Middle leaders
  (Andy Best/ Concentra .com)
• This has to be a Whole School process not just
  the data King/Queen!

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Using data during inspections

• Judgements about achievement and standards
• are based on a wide range of evidence including
  published performance data about past standards
  and achievement
• take into account other data made available to
  inspectors by the school
• include first-hand observations of pupils
  current progress in developing skills, knowledge
  and understanding to clarify judgements for
  example, in identifying areas of particular
  strength or where available data are inconclusive.

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What is the role of School Leaders?

• Who writes the School SEF? Is it integrated into
  the SDP?
• Do you have department SEFs?
• How are leaders prepared for the interviews?
  Paired is best
• Where are your weak points? What action is being
  taken? Impact?
• Do you have an Ofsted Action Plan?

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What is the role of the School Leaders?

• What is the current position of each dept?
• What are current standards?
• What is the impact of specialisms on the school?
• Do all key staff have summary cards/ sheets of
  significant areas for the interviews?
• Is the documentation up to date?

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Managing your SEF

• Recommended that the SEF is no more than 20 pages
• Is used as a working document?
• Is is part of SLT meeting agendas?
• Do you delegate sections or is it the Heads
  perception and vision?
• Who has seen the SEF?
• How often is it updated?

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Managing your SEF

• Bartley Green Experience
• SEF is carved up by sections and worked on by
  teams within SLT
• Consistency was achieved by it being written by
  Head and one other member of SLT latter had been
  trained in SEF writing.
• Depts and subjects have their own SEFs which
  replaces old handbooks AQ oversees termly.
• SEF is part of the School Improvement/Development
  process

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Managing your SEF
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Whats Ofsteds agenda?

• Using the evaluation schedule guidance
• Views of learners,parents/carers and other
  stakeholders
• Leadership and Management
• Achievement and standards
• Quality of provision
• Personal development and well being
• Overall effectiveness and efficiency

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What inspection tells us positive outcomes
insecondary education

• 9 in 10 secondary schools inspected are at least
  satisfactory half are good or outstanding
• The quality of school self-evaluation continues
  to improve good or outstanding in 64 of
  secondary school
• Three quarters of secondary schools have good or
  outstanding capacity to improve
• Most schools have responded well to the ECM
  agenda
• Secondary schools offer an increasing range of
  14-19 vocational courses, motivating pupils to
  attend and to learn

2006/07 inspection outcomes
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What inspection tells us some issues in
secondary schools

• Overall effectiveness stronger in primary than in
  secondary phase
• Quality of Y7 provision in literacy is too uneven
• Continuity in transition from primary to
  secondary school needs improvement
• Assessment is the weakest aspect of teaching
• Uneven quality of ME by subject leaders in many
  satisfactory schools
• Greater range of KS4 vocational provision
  positive
• But- KS4 take-up in history and MFL cause for
  concern

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What inspection tells us common features of
outstanding schools in disadvantaged areas

• Shared responsibilities among strong leadership
  teams
• Broad and rich curriculum, with clear focus on
  essential skills
• High quality teaching and learning
• Effective assessment and support, personal
  academic
• Parents/carers engaged and supportive
• Staff share ambitious goals for pupil achievement

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When you receive the call!

• Refer to your Ofsted Action Plan with delegated
  tasks
• Meet SLT first then inform staff all staff!
• Timeline key events team mtgs/ Talk with
  inspector and Head/ PIB/ post PIB focus/ Plan for
  the Inspection Days
• Clear diaries and book spare cover
• Cancel your weekend!

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When you receive the call!

• Pre Inspection Briefing
• Usually 24 hours before Inspection
• This will be in the SEF categories and form the
  basis of the visit
• Pair up key leaders (both senior/middle) to break
  down the key questions
• Have your data person free to roam between the
  meetings and provide the data
• Have admin back-up to type prompt sheets for
  meetings
• Have a SUMMIT/ DEADLINE of all leaders to brief
  each other before the inspection begins

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The pre-inspection briefing (PIB)

• The pre-inspection briefing should
• be succinct
• focus the inspection
• be sent to the school in advance of the
  inspection
• explore the extent to which the schools view of
  itself in the SEF is compatible with the
  available evidence
• identify issues for inspection from any apparent
  inconsistencies between the SEFs conclusions and
  the evidence
• be highly evaluative leading to hypotheses, not
  pre-emptive judgements.
• make clear that any inferences about the schools
  performance based on RAISEonline data are initial
  hypotheses, not judgements.

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Parts 1 and 2 of the PIB

• Part 1
• analysis under the main headings of the
  evaluation schedule of the extent to which the
  schools view of itself is borne out by the
  available evidence eg performance data.
• this analysis is the reasoned basis for
  pre-inspection hypotheses and issues to pursue.
• Part 2
• a list of the most significant issues to be
  explored, starting with the first meeting with
  the senior leadership team
• issues to be few in number.

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Conclusions

• Know your Data
• What are the roles of the school leaders?
• Managing your SEF
• Whats Ofsteds agenda?
• When you receive the call!
• To ensure success in organisations.it is a
  question of building strong institutions not
  creating heroic leaders