Common Inspection
Framework
What is proposed?
Introduction
• Under the direction of a new Chief Inspector (HMCI), Sir
Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted are consulting on further changes
which they believe will improve the system by raising
standards and expectations.
• They have been designed to, in Sir Michael’s words, “challenge
the further education and skills sector to achieve the highest
standards.”
• This follows the Ofsted Chief Inspector’s Annual Report
2010/11, which said that there was not enough outstanding
teaching and learning and that too many institutions were
“coasting” at satisfactory level without adequate improvement
over a series of inspections.
Summary of New Changes
From 1 September 2012:
• For an institution to be ‘outstanding’
overall, it must have ‘outstanding’
teaching, learning and assessment
• Grade 3 will be retitled from
‘satisfactory’ to ‘requires improvement’
• An institution which receives a ‘requires
improvement’ overall judgement will be
re-inspected earlier
Summary of New Changes
• An institution which receives ‘requires
improvement’ overall at its third
consecutive inspection will be judged
‘inadequate.’
• Inspections will take place without notice
• Institutions will be asked to provide
anonymised summaries of performance
management data of teachers, trainers
and assessors.
Outstanding
Teaching and learning
Outstanding Teaching and Learning
• This proposal seeks to, in effect,
prevent an institution being graded
‘outstanding’ overall unless it has
outstanding teaching, learning and
assessment.
Current system
• Providers can be judged ‘outstanding’
overall if quality of teaching and
learning is at least ‘good’.
Proposed new system
• The top grade of ‘outstanding’ will only
be awarded if the grade for ‘quality of
teaching, learning and assessment’ is
also ‘outstanding’.
Additional Information
• ‘Quality of teaching, learning and
assessment’ will be one of three headline
grades that contribute to ’overall
effectiveness; the others being ‘outcomes
for learners’ and ‘effectiveness of
leadership and management.’
Additional Information
Under the new Common Inspection Framework, which
comes in to effect in September, the criteria which informs
the grade for ‘quality of teaching, learning and assessment’
will be:
• Staff demonstrate high expectations, enthuse, engage,
support and motivate learners so that they learn and
make progress
• Staff set challenging tasks, build on and extend learning
for all learners
• Staff have appropriate skills and expertise to provide
good quality teaching, learning, assessment and support
for each learner
Additional Information
• Staff assess learners’ progress and provide for a range of
needs including learners with learning difficulties and /
or disabilities
• Equality and diversity are promoted through teaching and
learning
• Teaching develops literacy, numeracy, language and
functional skills, independent and lifelong learning to
support the achievement of learning goals
• Learning is effectively supported by appropriate and
timely information, advice and guidance on next steps in
training, education and employment
Retitling ‘satisfactory’ to
‘requires improvement.’
Retitling ‘satisfactory’ to ‘requires
improvement.’
• Ofsted believe that the renaming of
grade 3 from ‘satisfactory’ to ‘requires
improvement’ will raise expectations of
weaker performing providers and bring
about rapid improvement.
Current system
The grading scale for all inspection
judgements under the common inspection
framework is:
• Grade 1: outstanding
• Grade 2: good
• Grade 3: satisfactory
• Grade 4: inadequate
Proposed new system
The grading scale from September 2012
will be:
• Grade 1: outstanding
• Grade 2: good
• Grade 3: requires improvement
• Grade 4: inadequate
Additional Information
• It has been broadly accepted that
‘satisfactory’ doesn’t actually mean what it
says.
• To that end, this is a name change only as the
proposals specifically rules out alteration of
the grade boundaries.
• It is proposed that this name change will take
place in throughout the inspection process of
schools and initial teacher training in addition
to the further education and skills sector.
Earlier re-inspection of providers
judged ‘requires improvement’
• One reason behind the reforms of the
Ofsted inspection framework is that
improvement can take too long and there
are too many instances where providers
at Grade 3 do not improve after
consecutive inspections.
Current system
• Providers that are judged Grade 3
(satisfactory) overall receive a monitoring
inspection after two years and a full
inspection after four years.
Proposed new system
• Providers that are judged grade 3
(requires improvement) will receive a
full inspection within 12-18 months,
not a monitoring visit
‘requires improvement.’
Additional Information
• It is worth bearing in mind how this proposal ties
in with the wider reforms to the Ofsted
inspection process.
• For example, these earlier inspections will be
without notice and, under further proposals
outlined below, providers that have been judged
at grade 3 overall on their third consecutive
inspection will automatically fall under the
category of ‘inadequate.’
‘Inadequate’ at three consecutive
‘requires improvement.’
• Ofsted acknowledge that most providers
that are graded ‘satisfactory’ overall
improve and are judged at least ‘good’ by
the time of their next inspection. They
report however that just under half of the
providers that were inspected in 2010/11
that were judged ‘satisfactory’ for at least
the second time or had declined.
Current system
• There is currently no protocol in place
which re-grades institutions on the
premise of repeat performance
Proposed new system
• A provider that is judged ‘requires
improvement’ at its third consecutive
inspection without improvement will be
graded ‘inadequate.’
Additional Information
• In September this year, providers who are
currently judged as ‘satisfactory’ will be
considered to have had one ‘requires
improvement’.
• Providers that are judged as ‘inadequate’
overall receive a monitoring visit after 6-8
months and will have a full inspection 1215 months after the original inspection.
Inspections
Without notice
Inspections without notice
• This proposal seeks to enable Ofsted
inspectors to gain a real life view of a
provider and to provide the public with
confidence that the inspection system is
as robust as it can be.
Current system
• Providers are given two to three working
weeks notice prior to inspection
Proposed new system
• Ofsted will no longer provide any notice
and will arrive unannounced
Additional Information
• No-notice inspections already take place in
other areas of Ofsted’s work including in some
early years and social care settings.
• Furthermore, this policy is also planned to be
implemented in schools and initial teacher
education provision.
• Ofsted are currently carrying out pilot
inspections under this proposed framework and
a no-notice inspection was recently carried out
at Exeter College
•
http://feweek.co.uk/2012/03/16/principal-supports-no-notice-inspections
Anonymous performance
management data of
teachers, trainers and
assessors
Anonymous performance management
data of teachers, trainers and assessors
• Ofsted propose that by acquiring
anonymous performance management data
of teachers, trainers and assessors, they
can provide judgements on how well this
data is used to drive improvement.
Current system
• No current emphasis in the current
common inspection framework between
performance management and
improvement.
Proposed new system
• That Ofsted ask providers to supply
anonymised information on
performance management outcomes
to inspectors.
Additional Information
• Ofsted believe that the use, by senior
managers, of performance management and
professional development should increase the
effectiveness of teaching, learning and
assessment.
• The proposals state that the data supplied
will not be used directly in the inspection
report but will help determine whether
senior managers and governing bodies are
using performance management data
appropriately to drive improvement of
teaching, learning and assessment.