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School Inspection UpdateKey Changes since January 2014

Updates continued

17 June 2014

Name Farzana Aldridge – Strategic Director& Caroline Lansdown – Senior School Improvement Adviser

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● Leadership and Management

● Judging overall Effectiveness

● An effective SEF

Inspection update continued

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Leadership & Management

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How will leaders, managers and governors:● pursue excellence● effectively monitor and evaluate● use performance management ● ensure the curriculum is effective● have the capacity to bring about further improvement

Quality of leadership – key areas

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● develop middle leadership● Succession planning and the development of future

leaders in the school● effectiveness of governance● engagement of parents● contributes towards school improvement in the wider area● effectiveness of safeguarding including safe recruitment

Quality of leadership – key areas continued

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● the quality of middle leadership in the school● the extent to which schools are adequately developing

their middle leadership● succession planning and the development of future

leaders in the school

Key areas and additions – middle leaders

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There is an increased emphasis on the management of staff performance

Inspectors will evaluate the extent to which:● performance management and other strategies are used to improve

teaching● underperformance is tackled● professional development is based on the identified needs of staff● performance management, appraisal and salary progression are

linked.

Key areas and additions – performance management

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Schools will be asked to make available at the start of the inspection:● information about the school’s performance management

arrangements, including the most recent performance management outcomes and their relationship to salary progression

● this must be provided in an anonymised format

Performance management continued

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● how well the school uses the new primary sport funding to improve the quality and breadth of PE and sport provision, including increasing participation in PE and sport, so that all pupils develop healthy lifestyles and reach the performance levels they are capable of

● the extent to which leaders ensure that the curriculum provides timely independent information, advice and guidance to assist pupils on their next steps in training, education or employment

Key areas and additions – the curriculum

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● The extent to which leadership is able to contribute towards school improvement in the local or wider area, such as through system leadership, by working in partnership or by sharing of advanced skills practitioners, mentoring or shadowing opportunities for new middle leaders, or sharing best practice or offering other support and challenge on self-evaluation

Key areas and additions – wider contribution

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How well governors:● contribute to the school’s self-evaluation and understand its strengths

and weaknesses, including the impact of their own work● support and strengthen school leadership, including by developing

their own skills● provide challenge and hold the headteacher and other senior leaders

to account for improving the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement and pupils’ behaviour and safety, including by using the data dashboard, other progress data, examination outcomes and test results

Key areas and additions - governance

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● There is an increased focus on governance. Evidence on the impact of governance will be collected from a range of sources including discussions with staff.

Inspectors will consider how well governors:● use performance management, including of the headteacher, to lever

up quality● understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school, including the

quality of teaching and the underlying data● make strategic decisions about the development and improvement of

the school, particularly whether they are supporting or hindering school improvement

● meet statutory duties, including those with respect to promoting equalities and ensuring the pupils’ safety

Governance continued

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● Inspectors will comment on the strengths and weaknesses in the governing body’s work and identify any key areas for improvement

● Headteachers need to provide governors with good information, so that they can ask the right questions – e.g. Headteachers report to Governors

● Governors also need to ensure that the best staff are appointed and retained and that they support the headteacher in robust performance management. Inspectors will focus much more on the robustness of performance management in a school and judge whether there is a direct correlation between the quality of teaching and salary progression. They will ask to see reports to the governing board on this and anonymised data on salary

● Governors also need to keep up-to-date with their own training and development

Governance

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● Inspectors should consider how well leaders and managers demonstrate the capacity to bring about further improvement through e.g.

- a track record of improvements in achievement and/or maintenance of high levels of achievement

Key areas and additions - capacity

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Judging overall Effectiveness

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● Overarching Judgement: the quality of education provided in the school

● The four key judgements must be made first● In addition, inspectors consider the spiritual, moral, social and

cultural development of pupils at the school ● Does the education provided by the school meet the needs of the

range of pupils at the school, in particular DSEN?● the school ‘requires improvement’ as it is not a ‘good’ school because

one or more of the four key judgements ‘requires improvement’ (grade 3), and/or there are weaknesses in the overall provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Overall effectiveness

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● Teaching is outstanding and, together with a rich and relevant curriculum, contributes to outstanding learning and achievement, significant growth in students’ knowledge, and excellent attitudes to learning. Exceptionally, achievement may be good and rapidly improving.

● Pupils, and particular groups of pupils, have excellent educational experiences at school and these ensure that they are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment.

● There is excellent practice which ensures that all pupils have high levels of literacy appropriate to their age.

● The school’s practice consistently reflects the highest expectations of staff and the highest aspirations for pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

● Best practice is spread effectively in a drive for continuous improvement. ● Other principal aspects of the school’s work are good or outstanding. ● The school’s thoughtful and wide-ranging promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

and cultural development and their physical wellbeing enables them to thrive in a

supportive, highly cohesive learning community.

Overall effectiveness - outstandingOverall effectiveness - outstanding

Overall effectiveness - outstanding

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Effective School Self Evaluation

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Essential components

● Quality of procedures and processes for SSE● Links between Evaluation and Planning● Involvement of Stakeholders● Quality of Evidence (quantative and qualitative)● Impact of Evaluation on improving outcomes for pupils

Effective School Self Evaluation

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Outstanding SSE

Quality of procedures and processes for SSE- Self-evaluation drives improvement decisions taken by staff and

governors; is based on careful evaluation of current strengths and weaknesses and options for improvement, and this can be evidenced

- There is a clear SSE plan and framework known and understood by all staff and Governors

Links between Evaluation and Planning

- The SEF and SDP are two halves of a single document: planning is based on evaluation and all plans include the means of evaluation

Effective School Self Evaluation

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Involvement of Stakeholders

- A culture of improvement based on evaluation pervades the school. All staff and governors routinely review performance and use evaluation data to make decisions

- Benchmarking within and with other schools is routinely used to

challenge performance

Quality of Evidence (quantative and qualitative)- The quality of evidence is thorough and comprehensive and is very

well organised- Referencing and coding ensures ease of access to all evidence

informing SSE judgements

Effective School Self Evaluation

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Impact if Evaluation on improving outcomes for pupils

- Challenging targets for the achievement of all pupils and for school improvement are set and met

- Teaching and learning are consistently good or better; the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils

- There is a trend of improved standards and pupil progress

Effective School Self Evaluation