Parent FAQ – Following the OFSTED inspection
1. What are the possible outcomes from an OFSTED inspection?
There are 4 possible grades for an OFSTED inspection:
1 = Outstanding; 2 = Good; 3 = Requires Improvement (used to be known as satisfactory); 4 = Inadequate
2. What did The Forest achieve in the recent inspection?
Overall we were rated as Requiring Improvement by OFSTED
3. What different aspects of the school does OFSTED inspect and how did Forest do in each area?
As well as providing a grade for the school as a whole, OFSTED also grades the following aspects of the school:
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4.
Requires Improvement
Requires Improvement
Good
Requires Improvement
Good
What are the strengths shown by the inspection?
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5.
The headteacher has introduced many
changes that have improved the school.
Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of
performance information, together with
coaching and training for teachers, has led
to some recent improvements to teaching.
Well-established systems and practices
ensure that the school’s work to safeguard
pupils is strong.
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Pupils achieve well in GCSE mathematics.
Pupils’ personal development, welfare and
behaviour are good. The vast majority of
pupils behave in a polite and respectful
manner in lessons and around the school.
Teaching in the sixth form is strong and
learners are supported well to meet their
aspirations to progress to their chosen
universities.
What are the areas of improvement shown by the inspection?
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6.
Effectiveness of leadership & management
Quality of teaching, learning & assessment
Personal development, behaviour & welfare
Outcomes for pupils
16 to 19 study programmes
Leadership and management require
improvement because the school’s leaders
do not ensure that pupils make consistently
good progress across subjects and year
groups.
Leaders’ evaluations of current work and
plans for school improvement do not focus
sharply enough on the progress that pupils
make. Consequently, governors are not
able to focus their challenge and support
for the school effectively.
The quality of teaching, learning and
assessment is not as strong in Key Stage 3
as it is elsewhere in the school.
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Systems of assessment and tracking pupil
progress have not yet secured good
achievement in all year groups, especially
for pupils who are disadvantaged and those
who have special educational needs.
Teaching often does not offer sufficient
challenge to all pupils. Teachers do not
consistently use information about pupils’
progress to match learning activities to
their abilities.
Pupils’ behaviour in lessons varies
according to the quality of teaching. In
some areas of the school, low-level
disruption slows the pace of learning.
How is The Forest going to make sure these concerns are addressed?
Much of the report highlights work that has already begun to address these concerns. The senior leadership team has
already begun to develop a robust improvement plan to help us develop each of these points. This includes actions to
ensure there is consistent progress from all, to improve the quality of assessment at KS3 and to make sure every pupil
is sufficiently challenged.
7.
What is Pupil Premium?
Many of the comments OFSTED make are related to Pupil Premium children. Pupil Premium is a payment made by
government to the school to help improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Research has shown that these pupils
do not perform as well as their peers and the government is keen to ensure that any gap in progress or results that
currently exists is closed so these young people are not disadvantaged in their future lives.
8.
If the Forest has just 15% of pupils being pupil premium pupils and 85% who are not - surely a
focus on just 15% seems unreasonable?
As mentioned above the government is keen to ensure attainment gaps close and this is a real focus; all schools will
be inspected with pupil premium pupils as a focus.
9.
If the Forest now just focuses on 15% of pupils, what about the rest?
You can be assured that the school will always ensure that ‘every child matters’ irrespective of their
circumstances. The school has great results for pupils and even more so when we consider this is an all-boys school;
this will not change. We are committed to continue to improve.
10.
The Forest’s pupil premium gap is quite similar to the other Wokingham schools; if they were judged now
would they also be ’requires improvement’?
All other secondary schools in Wokingham were judged against older OFSTED frameworks where the focus on pupil
premium pupils was less of a focus. Although The Forest school’s pupil premium gap is similar to that of other
Wokingham schools, it is not possible for us to say that others schools might be judged as ‘requires improvement ‘
under the new framework; this would be down to an inspection team at the time.
11.
Did this inspection follow the same framework as the previous inspection?
No. OFSTED continues to revise and update the inspection framework so it is difficult to compare this inspection to the
last. As OFSTED develops the ‘bar’ continues to rise and it is much more challenging to a Good or Outstanding
inspection judgment than it was just two or three years ago.
12.
What impact will the inspection have on my child?
There will be no immediate changes to the day-to-day experience of your child. Over time we would expect to see an
on-going improvement in the quality of provision as all staff strive to be the best they can be.
13.
When is the next inspection likely to be?
There will be a short monitoring visit by HMI within 6 months of the publication of the report, this is to make sure all
improvement plans are sufficient and in place. The next full inspection will take place with 24 months, by March 2018.
14.
The inspection was led by an HMI; what is this?
An HMI (Her Majesty’s Inspector) now leads secondary school inspections. These inspectors are seen as being more
senior that OFSTED inspectors who support the HMI leading the inspection.
15.
It appears that many schools are being downgraded in their judgements; why?
This government and the previous coalition government have put in many changes to the education system, for
example a whole new set of GCSE qualifications; the aim of these changes is to continue to improve school
standards. As mentioned above, the new framework again ‘raises the bar’ and it will take time for schools to adjust;
in the meantime it is likely that more school, which would previously been judged as good, will move to ‘requires
improvement’.
16.
Is there any risk to the June results for my son who is in Year 11?
Not at all. Our current predictions indicate that pupils will achieve at least in line with the June 2015 results.
17.
The report states that “the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not as strong in Key
Stage 3 as it is elsewhere in the school”. My son is currently in Key Stage 3; should I be worried.
The school is committed to ensuring that every child receives the best teaching we are able to provide. We will
continue to improve the teaching and assessment across the school irrespective of the Key Stage and will strive to
remove perceived variations across the Key Stages.