ofsted homework guidelines 2019

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New Ofsted Framework 2019: Revised Summary Post Consultation

Aidan Severs

Here is your summary of the new Ofsted Inspection Framework 2019 revised to take account of the changes following the consultation.

Together with Aidan Severs @thatboycanteach we have pored over 100s of pages of information and the results of the consultation exercise to give you a clear summary for school leaders and governors as to what’s in the Ofsted Inspection Handbook and what you can expect from your next inspection!  

We know how busy it can be when working in a primary school, so to speed up your read, we’ve broken the blog down by sections, each of them clickable, so find the piece you are most interested in and get reading!

What are the main changes in the Ofsted framework?

When will an ofsted inspection take place, new key judgement categories, quality of education, intent – what inspectors will be looking for, how intent will be judged, implementation – what inspectors will be looking for, how implementation will be judged, impact – what ofsted inspectors will be looking for, how impact will be judged, quality of education summarised, behaviour and attitudes – what inspectors will be looking for, how behaviour and attitudes will be judged, personal development – what inspectors will be looking for, how personal development will be judged, leadership and management – what inspectors will be looking for and how it will be judged, increased focus on reducing workload, change in how ofsted wish to be perceived, inspections will focus on distinct phases or providers of specialist education, amendments to independent schools inspections by ofsted.

• What actions should you now take?

[FREE] Ofsted Deep Dive Preparation Framework

New For 2022 - Help your school get ready for the new Ofsted inspections with this framework of 40 deep dive questions you can expect

Here are the 5 headline changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework:

• Inspection timings have changed but the initial suggestion that Ofsted could arrive within 2.5 hours has been removed;
• There’s no getting away from the Ofsted grades; they stay the same: outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate;
• The judgement categories have been completed revised and will now cover: Quality of Education (this is a big one!), Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management;
• Some key themes emerge (none of which will be a surprise for those who read our previous blog based on Amanda Spielman’s October speech: reducing workload for teachers, an emphasis on good character and resilience among pupils, tackling off-rolling, and of course a broad, well-balanced knowledge-rich curriculum;
• Despite what some have said, we’re not sure from the revised framework that Ofsted inspectors will be ‘ignoring’ data, merely that they will look to understand the purpose and usefulness of internal pupil data.

Bonus fact: Ofsted appear to be listening…there were in the end 15,000 responses to the consultation!

There are two types of Ofsted inspections carried out routinely. As of September 2022, the terminology for these has changed slightly.

• Graded  inspections (previously section 5)
• Ungraded  inspections (previously section 8)

And now those changes to the Ofsted Inspection Framework in detail…

With regards to the ‘when’ of an Ofsted inspection, the handbooks shed some light:

• Inspection can take place at any point from five school days after the first day pupils attend that term.
• Notably, the length of time a Section 8 ‘short inspection’ is to be lengthened to 2 days , rather than 1 day, to ensure ‘good’ schools are ‘good’  within the new framework. However in response to the consultation inspectors will continue to be on site for only one day for section 8 inspections of the smallest schools (with 150 or fewer pupils).
• The draft framework included proposals that the lead inspector would have an on-site conversation with school leaders and would complete certain preparations on-site. This has since been dropped due to objections. Instead there will be a 90 minute phone call between the lead inspector or their nominated delegate the day before inspection begins. 

However, it also clarifies that ‘ Ofsted may conduct inspections without notice. When this happens, the lead inspector will normally telephone the school about 15 minutes before arriving on site. ’

Whilst schools will still be graded based on the usual Ofsted ratings of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate, it is against quite different criteria that they will be judged.

The most obvious changes are the removal of a specific category for outcomes and introduction of the broader category ‘quality of education’.

The four Ofsted inspection categories inspectors judge against the Ofsted grade descriptors are:

• Behaviour and attitudes
• Personal development
• Leadership and management

Let’s look at the four new categories, exploring both what the inspectors will be looking for, and how they intend to make their judgements:

In this category are the three ‘I’s: Intent , Implementation , Impact . These three act as subcategories and will not be graded separately. This is the category that is probably going to cause the most interest in the new framework and requires some time to familiarise oneself with.

Here the focus is on the curriculum and the aspirations schools have for their learners (for the sake of expediency this is now Ofsted’s catch-all term for children, pupils, students, apprentices, trainees and adult learners).

Under the new framework, schools should have high and equal expectations, providing an ambitious curriculum which is studied by all.

There appears to be an emphasis on the curriculum being knowledge-rich; however, the handbook insists strongly that ‘this must not be reduced to, or confused with, simply memorising facts. Inspectors will be alert to unnecessary or excessive attempts to simply prompt pupils to learn glossaries or long lists of disconnected facts’ .

The other main aspect of the curriculum is that it must deliver cultural capital defined in the handbook as ‘the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.’

However, there is also mention of the inclusion of skills teaching within the curriculum, particularly regarding preparation for both future learning and employment.

A key message that rings loud and clear throughout the documents is that the curriculum:

• Must be broad and balanced;
• Should provide a wide range of subjects;
• Should have an emphasis should be on how coherent and well sequenced it is, with knowledge, skills and cultural capital all appearing to play a part in this.

In the handbook, it is made explicit that ‘Ofsted will judge schools that take radically different approaches to the curriculum fairly. They will assess a school’s curriculum favourably when leaders have built a curriculum with appropriate coverage, content, structure and sequencing and implemented it effectively.’

Inspectors will draw evidence about leaders’ curriculum intent principally from discussion with senior and subject leaders focusing on endpoints, specific and appropriate content and the sequencing of the content.

Under the Implementation heading, we see attention being drawn to how teachers and other teaching staff do their job and how leaders support them, particularly regarding subject knowledge, presentation of material, assessment, feedback, responsive teaching and recall of material.

With regards to how material is presented (or taught) the handbooks clarify that ‘Ofsted does not advocate that any particular approach should be used exclusively in teaching. Different approaches to teaching can be effective’.

It is interesting to note here that reading gets its own bullet point: ‘Inspectors will make a judgement on the quality of education by evaluating the extent to which a rigorous approach to the teaching of reading develops learners’ confidence and enjoyment in reading. At the early stages of learning to read, reading materials are closely matched to learners’ phonics knowledge’ .

The reading focus is repeated both under the Impact heading and in the handbooks (where there is also a special mention from Ofsted for maths, clarifying that in good schools learners will be ‘able to apply mathematical knowledge, concepts and procedures appropriately for their age.’ ).

Read more: Applying the Education Inspection Framework to the teaching of maths

Inspectors will draw evidence about curriculum implementation from discussions with curriculum and subject leaders and teachers, observations of and interviews with pupils or classes, scrutiny of the pupils’ work, and reviews of schemes of work or other long-term planning.

There are some interesting notes in the handbooks which suggest that evidence of good work in progress could result in a ‘Good’ judgement even if not fully implemented.

Read more: Spiral curriculum

Under this heading we get our first mention of data : ‘learners develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum and, as a result, achieve well.’

But the focus isn’t solely on data.

The new framework also outlines there should be focus on doing things that ‘allow [learners] to go on to destinations that meet their interests, aspirations and the intention of their course of study’. The emphasis certainly isn’t solely on what we’d class as academic success and there is a recognition of the fact there are more ways of defining success.

In order to evidence this inspectors will not be using schools’ internal assessment data as evidence and will only look at nationally generated performance data such as that which is available in the IDSR.

They will also look for first-hand evidence of how pupils are doing, drawing together evidence from the interviews (including discussions with pupils about what they have remembered about the content they have studied), observations, work scrutinies and documentary review (including pupils’ exercise books or folders) as well as nationally published information about the destinations to which pupils progress when they leave the school. In primary schools they will also listen to a range of pupils read.

In short, Ofsted will be looking for schools that are offering a well thought-out, knowledge-led curriculum They are looking for a curriculum that also that promotes the mastery maths approach, whilst allowing pupils opportunities for in-depth study.

This should include ones that simulate  – especially tasks that simulate experiences pupils are likely to encounter in later life, be it employment-focused or to do with day-to-day tasks like financial planning or keeping a home – to revisit topics to embed and reuse knowledge and skills acquired as part of the scheme of following a knowledge-rich, expert-led curriculum.

Read more on how you can support your school to improve their quality of education

• All about the Ofsted Deep Dive
• A list of the most popular Ofsted deep dive questions
• Knowledge organisers: What they are and how to use them
• What Is the Impact of Tutoring In Your School? 12 Strategies To Make It Highly Effective For All Your Students
• A beginner’s guide to curriculum development
• Primary curriculum design for the new Ofsted framework

Here we have a brief category with just 4 points for inspectors to consider – 4 points which are expanded upon in the judgement criteria in the handbooks.

Rather notably some new buzzwords and phrases have crept into the statements under this heading. In the 2015 framework the term ‘high expectations’ didn’t appear with reference to the behaviour, attitudes or conduct of pupils. The word ‘positive’ was previously used to refer to the general culture of the school but now we see it with reference to learners’ own attitudes.

We also see other words which have gained prominence recently in education, particularly relating to aspects of good character:

‘[learners are] committed to their learning, know how to study effectively (there are clear links here to the cognitive science research that Ofsted have been taking notice of), are resilient to setbacks and take pride in their achievements’ – as well as a curriculum rich in knowledge, skills and cultural capital, so it seems that Ofsted also want to value good character education too.

Under the Behaviour and Attitudes heading we also find a new mention of bullying and discrimination which was previously only mentioned in the leadership and management category. In response to consultation there’s new emphasis on how swiftly and effectively providers take action if these issues occur. There’s also suggestion that inspectors may begin to make judgements on this based more on the experience that learners speak of rather than on what leaders say or think they are doing.

In order to make judgements with regards to bullying and discrimination and – hopefully – its lack, inspectors will hold discussions with pupils (from a range of different backgrounds and who have different experiences of the school’s approach to behaviour) and individual interviews with staff (particularly trainees, supply staff, NQTs, administrative support staff and catering staff). They will also use information from pupil and staff surveys and observations.

In addition to focusing on policies and approaches to minimise or eliminate bullying and discrimination, they will evaluate the effectiveness of exclusion and alternative strategies to exclusion.

Another brief category with another 4 points, and with further mention of character development (resilience, confidence and independence) and the importance of learners’ discovery of their interests and talents, we also find a mention of how schooling should be preparation for life, and thankfully, this doesn’t specify as adults meaning that one conceivable reason for education is to help learners to navigate life in the here and now.

Here we also find reference to British values ( democracy; the rule of law; individual liberty; and the mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith) as well as a mention of how learners keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. There is also an interesting removal of the following statement: ‘understanding of how to keep themselves safe from relevant risks such as abuse, sexual exploitation and extremism, including when using the internet and social media’.

Perhaps the removal is a positive step – was the old statement a hangover from an earlier mentality of victim blaming?

Now the emphasis is on what adults need to do (it is outlined under the Leadership and Management judgement that leaders have a responsibility to safeguard learners) rather than on the personal responsibility of learners to keep themselves safe.

But should it go one step further to teaching learners about how not to be a perpetrator of these crimes?

In response to the Ofsted consultation in 2019 there are also some amendments to the ‘personal development’ grade descriptors to better reflect the importance of high-quality pastoral support.

To make judgements in the personal development category, inspectors will look at the range, quality and take-up of extra-curricular activities, the promotion of British Values, the development of pupils’ character, the quality of debate and discussions that pupils have and the pupils’ understanding of how equality and diversity are promoted and celebrated.

Leaders will be judged largely in the same way as they were under the previous framework. Inspectors will make decisions about whether or not leaders have:

• An ambitious and inclusive vision;
• A concern for the continuing professional development of staff, with a focus on training rather than on performance management;
• Ensured there is no cheating – it is a shame that this has to be made clear, but hopefully it will stop some current pernicious practice;
• Engaged with their community, particularly learners and staff;
• Acted in order to protect staff;
• Ensured high levels of safeguarding.

Governance will also come under review during inspections, as previously.

The sources of evidence specific to leadership and management will be meetings with leaders (including MAT senior staff if appropriate – including the CEO or the CEO’s specified delegate) to discuss how well they know the school, meetings with governors and interviews with staff and pupils.

Inspectors will also look at responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires and Parent View.

A final and encouraging point to note is that throughout the draft framework document and the draft handbooks there are references to workload, placing the onus not only on leaders but also on teachers.

With reference to assessment and the data collection, input and analysis it involves, Ofsted now suggest that leaders ‘do not use it in a way that creates unnecessary burdens for staff or learners’ .

The framework and handbooks also contain more general outlines for leaders saying that they should be aware of the main pressures that are on staff and take account of them, realistic and constructive in the way they manage their staff (including their workload), and that any workload issues are consistently dealt with appropriately and quickly.

It’s not just workload that leaders need to protect their staff from, the framework also states that leaders should ‘protect their staff from bullying and harassment.’ The criteria for outstanding leadership also include the statement: ‘Staff consistently report high levels of support for well-being issues.’

In order to lead on improvements to workload problems, Ofsted also point out that:

• Teachers should not be selecting resources and materials which create unnecessary workload;
• Teaching shouldn’t be unnecessarily elaborate;
• Differentiated approaches which require a great deal of planning time aren’t necessary.

Gone is the heading ‘How does inspection seek to promote improvement?’

Its replacement ‘A force for improvement’ is much more of bold statement about how Ofsted perceive themselves, and how they want to be perceived.

Following their revised tagline, Ofsted set out their stall – their mission statement, if you like:

‘Ofsted exists to be a force for improvement… the primary purpose of inspection under this framework is to bring about improvement in education provision.’

Under the heading ‘Arrangements for different types of provision’, particularly under the subheadings ‘Schools with early years settings’ and ‘Schools with sixth forms’ there is new, additional clarification that separate grades will be given as part of inspections carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 .

This piece of legislation relates to the ability of the Secretary of State to direct the Chief Inspector to inspect a registered independent educational institution at any time.

Ofsted have also done away with their list of groups of learners which outlined groups such as those with SEN as ones whose outcome inspectors would pay particular attention to. Elsewhere there are minor changes in wording and the deletion of potentially unnecessary clarifications.

The sections entitled ‘The frequency and type of inspections’ and ‘What judgements will be made under short inspections?’ in the 2015 framework are no longer present in the current version. Instead, all details related to these headings are to be found in the handbooks.

For specialist independent schools subject to Ofsted inspection – such as faith schools and performing arts schools – inspectors will judge the school primarily on the non-specialist core element of the curriculum. In instances where non-specialist areas of the curriculum are limited, inspectors will instead consider how the the core curriculum has been integrated within the specialist curriculum more broadly.

If Ofsted conducts an emergency inspection at a private school, although it will not result immediately in an updated grade should improvements or deterioration of provision is noted. However, Ofsted is proposing to “recognise and acknowledge sooner” if changes – positive or negative – are clearly discernible by accelerating the schedule to bring about a standard inspection.

What actions should you now take ?

Step 1: Take some time to read the framework and relevant handbooks, particularly if you are in the process of curriculum design, and consider its implications. Step 2: Know how you are designing the curriculum for your school and why so you are ready to discuss it with inspectors from the 3 perspectives (intent, implementation and impact). Remember your curriculum needs to be a a specific plan of what pupils need to know overall, and in each subject, as well as in each year.

Step 3: Explain to key stakeholders who are aware of the new framework, particularly governors, what the main changes might be, explain how your school is already meeting the standards and reassure them that there need be no knee-jerk changes in the meantime.

Step 4: In reading the documentation did anything strike you as being a good point for change in your school? If so, don’t change for Ofsted’s sake but perhaps take the time now to begin to effect positive change – use the EEF’s Putting Evidence To Work guidance to make sure it’s done in a measured, manageable and effective manner.

Helpful links

• Ofsted’s new handbooks and framework ;
• Ofsted’s research findings to draw up the framework ;

The 12 Most Important Ofsted Safeguarding Questions and Answers [2024]

• New Ofsted Inspection Framework 2019: Amanda Spielman’s early speech
• What do Ofsted look for? How I learnt to stop worrying and love my inspection
• Why you shouldn’t aim for Ofsted outstanding teaching

The new Ofsted Framework states that: ‘Those pupils behind age-related expectations are provided with the opportunities to learn the mathematical knowledge and skills that are necessary to catch up with their peers’, and this is something we specialise in here at Third Space Learning.

DO YOU HAVE STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?

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Since 2013 these personalised one to one lessons have helped over 150,000 primary and secondary students become more confident, able mathematicians.

Learn how the tutoring integrates with your SEF and Ofsted planning or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

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The latest news and views on education from oxford university press., reading and maths in the new ofsted education inspection framework: what primary school teachers need to know.

As you’re probably already aware, a new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework will come into force in September 2019. You can get an overview of the new Framework in our blog post  ‘The new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework: What’s changed?’ We’ve taken a closer look at the Framework, alongside the new School Inspection Handbook that Ofsted inspectors will be using, and have pulled out some of the key points relating to how they will be assessing reading and maths in Primary schools. 

Reading: 5 things Ofsted inspectors are looking for

The School Inspection Handbook explicitly states that assessing how well pupils are taught to read will be prioritised as a main inspection activity. Here are five important things that inspectors will be looking for when making the new ‘Quality of Education’ judgement:

1) Schools should be determined that every pupil will learn to read, prioritising reading as a foundation for future learning, and enabling children to access the rest of the curriculum and avoid falling behind. 

2) Particular attention will be paid to pupils who are reading below age-related expectations (the lowest 20%) to assess how well your school is teaching phonics and supporting all children to become confident, fluent readers. Inspectors will listen to several low-attaining pupils in Years 1 to 3 read from unseen books appropriate to their progress, drawing on information from your school’s reading policy, phonics assessments, phonics screening check results and lesson observations.

3) A sequential approach to the reading curriculum is expected; the sequence of reading books should demonstrate a cumulative progression in phonics knowledge, matched closely to your school’s phonics programme, followed by ongoing reading progress throughout KS2.

4) A mix of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction should be used to develop pupils’ vocabulary, language comprehension and continuing enjoyment of reading. 

5) The ongoing assessment of pupils’ reading progress should be frequent and detailed so that it identifies any pupil who is falling behind. Any gaps should be addressed quickly and effectively, with targeted support. 

Maths: 5 things Ofsted inspectors are looking for

Inspectors will evaluate the quality of mathematics education through lesson observations, discussions with pupils and looking at their work, reviewing curriculum plans, discussions with curriculum leaders, and examining published data. Here are five specific things that inspectors will be looking for when it comes to ‘Quality of Education’ in maths teaching:

1) Schools’ curriculum planning for maths should systematically build mathematical knowledge and skills. This means that children should be able to understand and draw on the knowledge, concepts and procedures they have already learned, and apply these to where they are now in their learning, as well as in the next stage. 

2) Opportunities to show how mathematical reasoning and problem solving can be used to solve practical problems in everyday life should be identified and made the most of. You should also be thinking about the ways that pupils’ mathematical knowledge can be used and developed elsewhere across the curriculum. 

3) New material should be divided into manageable steps, with new procedures modelled, and using resources and approaches that help pupils understand what they are learning. Inspectors will be checking that you are revisiting pupils’ previously learned knowledge, concepts and procedures to make sure that their mathematical knowledge becomes deeply embedded, encouraging rapid recall and increasing their maths confidence. 

4) Flexible curriculum planning should be used to address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge that stops them from learning new content, with assessment used to identify when they have reached the understanding they need to move on to new or more complex maths. Inspectors will want to see that any pupils who are behind age-related expectations are given opportunities to learn the mathematical knowledge and skills they need to catch up.

5) Inspectors will expect all teachers, including non-specialists, to have sufficient maths subject-knowledge, and for them to be supported by the necessary resources and professional development they need to deliver topics effectively.

Want more details? The Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and School Inspection Handbook are available in full on the gov.uk website.

Download the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework  

Download the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook

Get support from Oxford 

We can support you with a range of resources that meet the requirements of the new Ofsted Education Inspection framework.  Book an appointment with your local Educational Consultant now or take a look at the Primary Ofsted Framework page to see how we can help you ensure your school is Ofted-ready.

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Ofsted cuts homework checks from inspections

Inspectors will no longer check if schools are setting appropriate homework from this week — a move that critics say will lead to a collapse in the amount of study that children do at home.

As pupils head back to school after the holidays, Ofsted, the school inspectorate, has removed all references to homework from its inspection framework. A question on homework in Ofsted’s parent survey has also been dropped.

It means primaries and secondaries in England can be rated good or outstanding even with a no-homework policy.

Chris McGovern, a former Ofsted inspector who chairs the Campaign for Real Education, a pressure group that advocates traditional teaching, said: “This is a retrograde step that is not going to raise standards. Many teachers will take

Ofsted defends removing homework from school inspection

Ofsted has said its inspectors will not assess how homework is being done under its new framework because schools should decide whether or not they set it for their pupils.

Homework is not mentioned at all in the new education inspection framework, which Ofsted is using from today to inspect schools.

This marks a change from the previous inspection regime, which looked at homework as part of the way it assessed the teaching, learning and assessment of pupils.

Quick read : Ofsted won’t ask parents about homework in new survey

Opinion: ‘Parents avoiding homework is understandable’

Background: 24 slides that set out Ofsted’s inspection regime

Under Ofsted’s new regime, this inspection category has been replaced with a new “quality of education” grade - with an increased emphasis on the curriculum.

Ofsted shifts focus away from homework

A spokesperson for the inspectorate said: “We have not included homework in the new inspection framework because, in line with government guidance, it is up to schools to decide whether or not they set it for their pupils.

“Under the new framework, inspectors will assess the wide range of work provided to pupils to ensure it supports and reinforces what is taught in the classroom and the wider curriculum.”

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that the move to take homework out of the inspection framework had been criticised “as a retrograde step” by the Campaign for Real Education, which favours a traditional approach to teaching.

Tes reported earlier this year that Ofsted will also no longer be asking parents for their views about their children’s homework as part of its online survey.

The inspectorate has produced a new set of questions it will ask through its Parent View site from this week.

As part of these changes, the inspectorate will stop asking parents whether they think their children received appropriate homework for their age.

Ofsted explained the change by saying : “For homework, it is up to individual schools to decide whether it is age-appropriate, in line with their policy. Inspectors do not assess homework as part of inspections.”

The inspectorate had previously placed more emphasis on homework.

In 2016, it surveyed more than 300 parents on the topic. It said those parents who responded positively said homework helped them to feel part of their children’s learning.

However, Ofsted found that a common view held by parents was that homework caused huge stress for the whole family and so impacted negatively on home life. 

Under the last inspection regime,  Ofsted grade descriptors for “outstanding” schools said teachers would “set challenging homework, in line with the school’s policy and as appropriate for the age and stage of pupils, that consolidates learning, deepens understanding and prepares pupils very well for work to come”.

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• Nov 20, 2019

SAFEGUARDING IN THE 2019 OFSTED FRAMEWORK AND HANDBOOKS

Updated: Dec 10, 2019

The new OFSTED Documentation to come into force in September 2019 have just been issued, including the Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings guidance. This article identifies the key safeguarding changes and implications from the updated documentation and key actions for schools in response.

INSPECTING SAFEGUARDING IN EARLY YEARS, EDUCATION AND SKILLS SETTINGS

The Safeguarding Guidance continues the work of the document issued in September 2018 of ensuring that the OFSTED ‘s approach to safeguarding is in line with the Social Work and Children Act 2017 provisions as they come into force. So, the references to transitional arrangements have gone and have been replaced with references to local safeguarding multi-agency partners as these should be in place by September.

As in the most recent frameworks safeguarding is judged under leadership and management and explicitly contributes to the overall effectiveness judgement, but it is not subject to its own judgement. However, it remains key so only exceptionally will a school with ineffective safeguarding be judge as anything other than inadequate (see below where there are easily rectified minor weaknesses). Included in this is for schools to ensure that they are meeting their obligations to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions (p.22).

The guidance’s changes include a number of recurrent key themes:

• The inclusion of understanding healthy and unhealthy relationships, reflecting the wording from the SRE guidance • An emphasis on teaching about and awareness of exploitation, particularly criminal exploitation • Teaching about risks related to the use of social media • Ensuring the needs of children with medical conditions are being met and they are receiving appropriate care • The inclusion of previously looked after children as a vulnerable group

The risks from technology are expanded to include risks linked to using technology and social media, including online bullying; the risks of being groomed online for exploitation or radicalisation; and risks of accessing and generating inappropriate content, for example ‘sexting’ (p.6). Social media is explicitly included whereas previously the guidance has considered the risks relating to the internet in general.

There a number of mentions of responses to bullying, homophobic behaviour, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination and that children should know how to get support rather than how to keep themselves safe (p.8). This is an interesting change of emphasis as it requires schools to ensure that they are explicitly providing support and that children know how to access it.

On page 9 the guidance emphasises that ‘Adults understand that children’s poor behaviour may be a sign that they are suffering harm or that they have been traumatised by abuse.’ And ‘In cases of peer-on-peer abuse, staff should consider what support might be needed for the perpetrators as well as the victims.’ While this view and approach is emphasised in KCSIE 2018, the guidance on Sexual Violence and Harassment between Children (2018), Timpson Review of School Exclusion and much of the work in the realms of safeguarding, it is not necessarily to the fore in the approach being promoted by Tom Bennett and his government sponsored ‘crackdown on bad behaviour.’ Linked with this is the responsibility for schools to identify those in need of support with their mental health as well as those at risk of abuse or neglect (p.12). With this in mind, schools need to ensure staff are trained to understand how to handle reports of sexual violence and harassment between children, both on and outside school premises (p.11) and develop their understanding and language around behaviour as a communication of need and possible abuse.

The guidance is clear that learning about safeguarding and the identification of risk must be embedded within the curriculum. We are told ‘children and learners are supported to understand what constitutes a healthy relationship both online and offline, and to recognise risk, for example risks associated with criminal and sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, substance misuse, gang activity, radicalisation and extremism, and are aware of the support available to them’ (p.13). This now includes the focus on what is a healthy relationship.

OFSTED clarifies the role of the DSL as the main point of contact with Multi-agency partners (MAP) (p.12). It is clear that the DSL role(s) should always be explicitly defined in their job descriptions and that they should be given sufficient time, funding, supervision and support to fulfil their child welfare and safeguarding responsibilities effectively (p.31). To reflect WTSC 2018 the guidance extends and clarifies the list of agencies involved in multi-agency work (p. 31) to include

• local authorities and district councils that provide children’s and other types of services, including children’s and adult social care services, public health, housing, sport, culture and leisure services, licensing authorities and youth services • NHS organisations and agencies and the independent sector, including NHS England and clinical commissioning groups, NHS Trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts and GPs • the police, including police and crime commissioners and the chief officer of each police force in England and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in London • the British Transport Police • the National Probation Service and community rehabilitation companies governors/directors of prisons and young offender institutions (YOIs) • directors of secure training centres (STCs) • principals of secure colleges • youth offending teams/services (YOTs)

There is an emphasis on the development of a culture and training, so staff are competent to carry out their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and creating an environment where staff feel able to raise concerns and feel supported in their safeguarding role. So, Staff should be given a mandatory induction, which includes familiarisation with child protection responsibilities and the procedures to be followed if anyone has any concerns about a child’s safety or welfare. Further, whistle blowing (p.31) and managing allegations against staff (p.32) should be included in the staff code of conduct, induction and training. All practitioners should have regular reviews of their own practice to ensure they have knowledge, skills and expertise that improve over time.

The guidance is explicit that ‘Organisations should have clear policies for dealing with allegations against people who work with children. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children who has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child • possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children.

Any allegation against people who work with children should be reported immediately to a senior manager within the organisation or agency. The designated officer, or team of officers, should also be informed within one working day of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police (p.32).

Rules regarding schools’ responsibilities for apprentices are made explicit (p.32).

THE EDUCATION INSPECTION FRAMEWORK

The new framework document continues to emphasise the importance of the setting’s safeguarding arrangements (as well as culture). These must be effective. They must prioritise the safeguarding of learners at all time and include taking prompt and appropriate action on any safeguarding or health and safety issue. Governors continue to hold their duties under the PREVENT strategy.

Effective safeguarding arrangements will

• identify learners who may need early help or who are at risk of neglect, abuse, grooming or exploitation • help learners reduce their risk of harm by securing the support they need, or referring in a timely way to those who have the expertise to help • manage safe recruitment and allegations about adults who may be a risk to learners and vulnerable adults (p.12)

SCHOOL INSPECTION HANDBOOK

(Page numbers are taken from the Section 5 handbook, unless otherwise specified.)

The OFSTED Handbooks are clear that an out of schedule inspection may be called or exempt schools may be inspected between risk assessments for safeguarding concerns. A Section 8 inspection will be converted to a Section 5 inspection, if safeguarding is not effective. There remains the implied 2-pronged approach of considering both the school’s safeguarding culture and arrangements.

The grade descriptors for overall effectiveness and leadership and management will include a judgement on the effectiveness of safeguarding. A school can be RI if there are safeguarding weaknesses that are ‘easily rectified and there are no serious failings that leave pupils either being harmed or at risk of harm’ (p.40). If safeguarding is ineffective, the school is inadequate. The same applies under the leadership and management judgement.

There is an emphasis under the behaviour and attitudes judgement on the school culture and environment. It should be positive and respectful, and pupils should know that staff care about them. Pupils will be safe and bullying, discrimination and peer-on-peer abuse – online or offline– are not accepted and are dealt with quickly, consistently and effectively whenever they occur (p.52).

Inspectors will consider the school’s use of exclusion and any safeguarding risks to pupils who may be excluded (p.54). They will consider the safeguarding procedures in any alternative provision that the school are using.

The handbook emphasises the school culture of safeguarding that means they should have effective arrangements to

• always act in the best interests of children, pupils and students to protect them online and offline • identify children, pupils and students who may need early help, and who are at risk of harm or have been harmed. This can include, but is not limited to, neglect, abuse (including by their peers), grooming or exploitation • secure the help that children, pupils and students need, and if required, referring in a timely way to those who have the expertise to help • manage safe recruitment and allegations about adults who may be a risk to children, pupils, students and vulnerable adults (p.70)

The handbook goes on to give examples of what ineffective safeguarding might include:

• Safeguarding allegations about staff members are not being handled appropriately. • Children, pupils and students or particular groups of children, pupils and students do not feel safe in school/the setting. • Children, pupils and students have little confidence that the school/setting will address concerns about their safety, including risk of abuse. • Pupils are frequently missing from school (including for part of the school day), but this is not addressed appropriately by staff. • Incidents of bullying or prejudiced and discriminatory behaviour are common (p.72).

There is a clear recognition of the additional vulnerabilities for children with SEND which is emphasised in the sections on special schools, units and alternative provision. This needs to be considered in all mainstream provisions as well.

POSSIBLE ACTIONS FOR SCHOOLS:

• Check that your safeguarding policy includes

o Healthy and unhealthy relationships o Teaching about and awareness of exploitation, particularly criminal exploitation o Teaching about risks related to the use of social media o The needs of children with medical conditions o Inclusion of previously looked after children as a vulnerable group o Talks about children knowing how to get support and assess risk, not just keeping themselves safe o Recognises and states that children’s behaviour may be a sign of abuse and the provision of support for all involved in peer-on-peer abuse including the victim, alleged perpetrator and witnesses. o Includes the DSL’s role as the main point of contact with the Local multi-agency partners and includes an up-to-date list of partners, adding any additional local partners your school works with.

• Review your policy and procedures for supporting children with medical conditions, considering both physical and mental health conditions.

• Review your policy for managing allegations against staff and volunteers. Does it include reporting to the LADO or DO within one working day? Does it reflect this guidance fully? Do your staff know and understand it?

• Consider how robust is your staff training for managing and reporting incidents of peer on peer abuse including sexual violence and harassment. Do all staff understand the need to support all those involved (victim, alleged perpetrator and witnesses).

• Consider how raising concerns, whistle blowing and managing allegations against staff are covered in your induction, training and staff code of conduct. You may wish to look at the new guidance from the Safer Recruitment Consortium on safer working practices .

• Consider how you will ensure staff are able to review their own practice to ensure they have knowledge, skills and expertise to improve over time. Is this part of training? Included in appraisal? Part of a review of safeguarding incidents?

• Check your policies for children missing from school including those missing for part of the school day.

• Consider the safeguarding risks and implications for any pupil excluded from school. Think about Contextual Safeguarding and the risks of radicalisation, grooming and criminal and sexual exploitation.

• Ensure that you understand and are confident about the safeguarding arrangements and culture at any alternative provision you are using. Remember that an OFSTED inspector may visit them as part of your inspection. Has a member of the school staff visited the setting?

LINKS TO DOCUMENTATION

School inspection Handbook Section 5

School inspection Handbook Section 8

Education inspection framework

Inspecting Safeguarding 

• Safeguarding
• Updates to Key Paperwork

Recent Posts

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020: summary and possible actions for schools

A Sense of Dissonance and the Return to School

Coronavirus (Covid-19): Safeguarding in schools, colleges and other providers- updated May 20th.

The OFSTED Framework and links to mental health in schools

Here is a brief guide to the new OFSTED framework and the links to mental health and well-being.  I’m going to mention the changes to the framework and talk about some of the inferences, my opinion and interpretation of the document.

There are 4 judgement areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management.

If you prefer, listen to the October 2019 podcast . We recommend you download the accompanying handout before you listen.

What’s at the heart of this inspection from a mental health perspective?

The framework is built around the factors that have the greatest protective effect for all children. ‘ What’s it like to be a child in this school? ’ is the context for the inspections. This is probably a good phrase to have in mind and sets out, in my opinion, the more child centred approach of the new framework.

The words ‘mentally healthy’ are used about 3 times in the inspection handbook so you might be forgiven for thinking that this new framework is not supportive of the mental health and well-being of the school community.  However, there is a strong systemic resilience-based design to the inspection, which is very welcome.  Here’s how:

• Cultural capital and social capital are key themes, ensuring that schools are providing the very best opportunities and outcomes for disadvantaged students. This is a key factor in promoting good resilience and closing the gap. For example, extending and targeting opportunities for clubs, community participation and student leadership in school.
• The quality of education judgement ensures the inspection is not just a discussion about data on a sheet, but a triangulation of the data with curriculum, teaching and assessment/outcomes all being important. This shifts the focus from numbers to people , the relationships within lessons and the dynamics of pedagogy and teaching.
• The focus on a broad and balanced curriculum offer which will ensure that the creative subjects will once again have focus. Music, drama, social and emotional literacy are for many, part of keeping mentally healthy and maintaining good well-being.
• Narrowing of the curriculum in KS2 and KS3 will be reviewed . This is particularly helpful for those students who gain success from the more creative side of the curriculum. Examples include, excessive teaching of literacy and numeracy in year 6 at the cost of other subjects and starting GCSE’s in year 9 not 10.
• Staff CPD and subject knowledge has a high importance. This is particularly important when the Healthy Living aspects of PSHE and RSE curriculum become statutory from Sept 2020.  The PSHE association has some great resources to help with this which you can find via this link .
• The previous judgment of personal development, behaviour and welfare is now split into two judgements. Behaviour and attitudes and personal development are separate judgements.   Personal development will not have an ‘outcomes’ judgement as such but schools will be judged on the curriculum and wider opportunities (provision and promotion) which are provided, particularly for disadvantaged students.  OFSTED recognises that long term improvements in SMSC, resilience and confidence develop over time and cannot be measured.
• Within personal development, high-quality pastoral care is an important aspect of the provision of the school, including the way that the school manages bullying.
• There are lots of strong references to respect, tolerance and a school’s role in developing good social influences and good relationships with peers and staff .
• Within the leadership and management judgement, CPD for staff is mentioned both as a way of improving the quality of education judgement, but also from a retention and well-being point of view.
• Staff well-being is a key feature of the leadership and management judgement. Excessive unnecessary internal data for example is one of the areas that inspectors will be looking at. Leaders will be asked to explain their rationale.  Furthermore, to be outstanding, staff need to report that workload challenges are dealt with and that well-being issues are being addressed.

Here’s a document which you might find useful: Ten Steps Towards School Staff Wellbeing by Anna Freud.

Next Steps:

• Review your curriculum provision, I’ve not yet found a good audit for this, but the PSHE association’s is great for the Healthy Living/RSE/PSHE element.
• Review the breadth of your curriculum offer both in KS2 and KS3.
• Take a look at your pastoral provision and ensure it is effective and co-ordinated.
• The DFE’s Teachers Standards are always a great reference point when discussing and monitoring good practice in the classroom. You can find it here .
• Ensure your ‘disadvantaged and vulnerable’ data is up to date and that provision and promotion is part of a graduated response to meeting need.
• Review the Anna Freud 10 steps document and consider one or two priorities to address first.

* (OFSTED have defined ‘disadvantaged’ as students who access pp funding at any point in the last 6 years; students in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route; Children in Need of help and protection and receiving statutory support from local authority social care.)

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Ofsted handbooks and frameworks

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