The inspection of provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs: the Ofsted perspective

Charlie Henry

Her Majesty’s Inspector

National Lead for Disability and Special Educational Need

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted)

United Kingdom

International Exhibition and Forum for Education (IEFE)

Riyadh, February 2014

The identification of special educational need

Disability and special educational need

A person has a disability when a person has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

Most but not all children who are disabled have special educational needs.

Disability and special educational need

Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or

b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority

c) are compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would so do if special educational provision was not made for them.

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

Disability and special educational need

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

Special educational provision means:

for children of two or over, educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the local authority, other than special schools, in the area

for children under two, educational provision of any kind.

The identification of special educational need

The Code of Practice – statutory guidance

Graduated approach to identification and provision

School action

School action plus

Statement of special educational need

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Just over one in five pupils - 1.7 million school-age children are identified as having special educational needs.

11.8% at School action

6.5% at School action plus

2.8% with Statements of special educational need

The proportion of pupils in secondary schools identified as having special educational needs without a Statement increased from 13% in 2003 to 19.7% in 2010

Approximately 100,000 pupils are in special schools (1.2%) (including independent special schools)

The identification of special educational need

The types of provision available in England for

disabled pupils and those who have special

educational needs

Mainstream schools – most pupils with special educational needs attend mainstream schools alongside other pupils.

Special units attached to mainstream schools – provide more specialist help but also opportunity for integration.

Special schools – some special schools are for very specific needs, others are for pupils with a wide range of needs. Some are independent special schools.

Hospital schools – provide general education for children undergoing medical treatment, including psychiatric care

Pupil referral units – generally these are for pupils who for behavioural reasons need ‘time out’ from mainstream schools. Pupils increasingly may go to a further education college or some form of alternative provision.

Residential special schools provide residential accommodation as well as education. They are mainly provided by independent organisations but pupils’ places are usually funded by their local authority.

General further education colleges – for students aged over 16, as with maintained schools most students who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities attend the same college those who do not have these additional needs.

Independent specialist colleges – for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who want to carry on studying after 19.

Ofsted inspections of schools

What we focus on through school inspection

and how we carry inspection out

The school inspection framework

Four levels of performance

1. Outstanding

2. Good

3. Requires Improvement

4. Inadequate

Four key judgements Achievement Quality of Teaching Behaviour and safety Leadership and management

Overall effectiveness

The national aim is that every school will be at least a good school

Latest inspection outcomes

Achievement of pupils at the school

The learning and progress across year groups of different groups of pupils in school

Pupils’ progress over the last three years

Pupils’ attainments compared with national standards

Performance of key groups, especially DSEN, those entitled to the Pupil Premium, most able, EAL pupils….

By observing lessons, work scrutiny, checking school records of pupils’ progress, checking rigour of assessment, talking to pupils

Proportions making and exceeding expected progress

How well different groups of pupils perform as well as one another - disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are a priority group

For those groups of pupils whose cognitive ability is such that their attainment is unlikely ever to rise above ‘low’, the judgement on achievement should be based on an evaluation of the pupils’ learning and progress relative to their starting points at particular ages, and any assessment measures held by the school. Evaluations should not take account of their attainment compared with national benchmarks

From each different starting point, the proportions of

pupils making expected progress and the proportions exceeding expected progress in English and in mathematics are high compared with national figures. For pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support, the proportions are similar to, or above, those for other pupils in the school or are rapidly approaching them.

Pupils make rapid and sustained progress throughout year groups across many subjects, including English and mathematics, and learn exceptionally well.

Pupils read widely, and often across all subjects to a high standard.

Aspects of outstanding achievement

Pupils develop and apply a wide range of skills to great

effect in reading, writing, communication and mathematics. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment.

Pupils, including those in the sixth form and those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, acquire knowledge quickly and develop their understanding rapidly in a wide range of different subjects across the curriculum.

The learning of groups of pupils, particularly those who are disabled, those who have special educational needs, those for whom the pupil premium provides support, and the most able is consistently good or better.

Aspects of outstanding achievement

The most important role of teaching is to promote learning and to raise pupils’ achievement.

It is also important in promoting their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Teaching should be understood to include teachers’ planning and implementing of learning activities, including the setting of appropriate homework across the whole curriculum, as well as marking, assessment and feedback.

It encompasses activities within and outside the classroom, such as additional support and intervention.

Inspectors must not favour a particular or preferred approach to teaching or planning lessons.

The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching

Does teaching engage and include all pupils?

Are pupils gaining in knowledge, skills and understanding, especially in literacy and mathematics?

Do teachers monitor pupils’ progress in lessons and use the information well to adapt their teaching?

Do teachers use questioning and discussion to evaluate teaching and promote pupils’ learning?

Is assessment frequent and accurate and used to set relevant work?

Are pupils properly prepared for their next stage in their learning?

Inspectors must evaluate learning over time taking into account:

Evidence from school leaders’ lesson observations

Work scrutiny

Discussion with pupils / parents

The school’s own evaluation of the quality of teaching

Quality of teaching in the school These descriptors should not be used as a checklist. They must be applied adopting a ‘best fit’ approach which relies on the professional judgement of the inspection team.

Outstanding teaching

Much of the teaching in all key stages and most subjects is outstanding and never less than consistently good. As a result, almost all pupils currently on roll in the school, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, those for whom the pupil premium provides support and the most able, are making rapid and sustained progress.

All teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils. They plan and teach lessons that enable pupils to learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.

Teachers systematically and effectively check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where they may need to intervene and doing so with notable impact on the quality of learning.

Outstanding teaching

The teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics is highly effective and cohesively planned and implemented across the curriculum.

Teachers and other adults authoritatively impart knowledge to ensure students are engaged in learning, and generate high levels of commitment to learning across the school.

Consistently high quality marking and constructive feedback from teachers ensure that pupils make rapid gains.

Teachers use well-judged and often imaginative teaching strategies, including setting appropriate homework that, together with clearly directed and timely support and intervention, match individual needs accurately. Consequently, pupils learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.

Pupils’ behaviour and safety

The extent to which pupils’ attitudes help or hinder their progress in lessons

Their attitudes to school, conduct and behaviour during and outside of lessons

The school’s behaviour records and analysis of these

Rates, patterns and reasons for exclusions

Pupils’ contribution and response to the culture of the school

Pupils’ respect for the school’s learning environments and resources

Types, rates and patterns of bullying and the effectiveness of the school’s actions to prevent and tackle it in all its forms: to include prejudice based bullying and cyber bullying

The effectiveness in preventing discriminatory and derogative language

Punctuality and attendance

The school’s success in keeping pupils’ safe, within school and in external activities, through risk assessment, e-safety arrangements, action taken following any serious safeguarding incident

Pupils’ ability to

understand and respond to risk

The effectiveness in

improving behaviour and attendance

The views of parents, staff and governors

Leadership and management

How well is a culture of high expectations fostered?

Robust self-evaluation Well-focussed improvement plans Excellent policies, especially for reading, writing, mathematics Ensuring strong commitment to the vision from pupils, parents and governors

How effectiveness is the leadership of teaching and achievement?

Quality of pupil progress tracking Professional development Performance management linked to salary progression The sharing of best practice identified, modelled and shared

Leadership and management

To what extent does the curriculum promotes a thirst for knowledge and love of learning?

Securing pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics Its breadth & balance and if it meets pupils’ needs, interests, aptitudes Does it foster academic achievement, good behaviour, safety, physical well-being and SMSC

How well do governors hold senior leaders to account?

Ensure strong vision, ethos, strategic direction? Do they know school performance very well and provide real challenge? Ensure pupil premium funding leads to improved achievement? Ensure school engages parents & community?

Leadership /management

Do safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements?

Safe recruitment –single central record well maintained Excellent child protection policy & practice Safe practices promoted well and a culture of safety, (e-safety) Attendance well managed

Is the school moving towards system leadership?

Extent to which leaders at all levels contribute towards school improvement in the local / wider area Partnership working /sharing best practice Sharing advanced skills practitioners, mentoring

The management of an inspection

The management of an inspection

Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI)

Additional Inspectors managed by Inspection Service Providers – many are current headteachers and senior school leaders.

An inspection will last two days. The size of the team depends on the size and complexity of the school.

For most inspections, the lead inspector will inform the school at noon on the day before the inspection starts.

A few inspections are ‘no-notice’.

Inspectors:

spend as much time as possible in classes, observing lessons, talking to pupils about their work, gauging their understanding and engagement in what they are doing, and their perceptions of the school

hear children read in primary schools, and in Years 7 and 8 in secondary schools

scrutinise pupils’ work and look at data

involve the headteacher and senior managers fully during the inspection, including during inspection team meetings.

The frequency of inspection depends on the judgement at its last inspection and on-going risk assessment.

Mainstream schools

Special schools

Schools that Require Improvement

Schools that are Inadequate

How we report our inspection findings

Grading of judgements

Reports are short – but schools also have dialogue and feedback

Reports are set out to make clear how schools should seek to improve

Recommendations

Recommendations