For many parents in England, this is also quite a new concept. We decided to write an article about this interesting government organisation in view of clarifying a few grey areas. We must remember that central to this important establishment is the welfare of some of our most vulnerable people. Without an organisation looking after us, any institution offering childcare or education could pretty much do what they wanted. Having an Inspectorate raises the standard across-the-board. After digging a little deeper, we found out that they do far more than publishing judgements.
Ofsted see themselves as an improvement agency. They are now producing, amongst other things, instructional videos, useful documents, and personal guidance.
We decided to dig through some of the misunderstandings and get to some facts. In this article we will cover:. Ofsted stands for Office for Standards in Education. In this context, education is not just schools; it encompasses the full spectrum of learning environments. If you are a registered early years childcare provider, you will have to be inspected regularly.
This includes childminders, often working from home looking after very young children in private residencies. Ofsted are never far away from news headlines, and many of these stories are attracting negative publicity. The Guardian newspaper has challenged the very existence of Ofsted in a recent piece asking the question of whether schools would be better off without an authority looking down on them. Bonuses have even been talked about, which begs the question of what activities would warrant such a pay reward.
When a school receives a very negative and public report, local newspapers are usually the first to jump on the bandwagon. A typical inspector will phone the institution that they are visiting the day before. This call is not to scare the provider. Instead, many Ofsted officers see this as an opportunity to begin a relationship. But they do want to make sure they are prepared and have all the relevant paperwork at hand, a fine balancing act. We have heard stories of schools over-preparing for a visit.
An inspector needs to get an accurate description of the provider, and this means that staff should go about their everyday business as usual. Inspectors, on the whole, are very good at spotting disingenuous activities and they receive a very accurate picture once they have spoken to staff, students, and parents.
We have to bear in mind that inspections happen over a relatively short time, and sometimes inaccurate judgments can be made. Over the years, Ofsted has tried to improve this process by taking a rounded picture of the provider. This includes observations, interviews, and data. They will inspect any organisation offering teacher education including schools, alliances and colleges. Ofsted are very keen at being seen as an evidence-led organisation.
For too long in England, the educational workforce has been drip-fed ideas that have not necessarily been empirically researched. Ofsted see themselves as an evidence-informed entity that promotes and monitors best practice. There is a significant move to remove much of the burden associated with an inspection. The organisation wants to decrease unnecessary workload for anyone that encounters an inspection.
A key role that Ofsted plays is the publishing of the reports that they carry out. These are public documents and have the capacity to make or break a school system. If a school continually fails then the head teacher is at risk of being dismissed. Many of these dismissals are seen as unlawful and school governors have the power to sack senior leaders at very short notice. The role of Ofsted is to promote excellent care and education in England.
Reporting directly to the government, Ofsted pride themselves on being impartial and independent. The organisation also have the power to regulate any children and young people's service. Schools which are rated as requiring improvement will receive another full OFSTED inspection within two years in order to monitor their progress. Grade 4: Inadequate An inadequate school has significant weaknesses and is failing to prepare its students effectively for the next stages of their lives.
The management and leadership, however, are judged to be Grade 3 or above. If the management team of a Grade 4 school is not judged to be Grade 3 or above, it will be ranked as a Special Measures school. An inadequate school has significant weaknesses and is failing to prepare its students effectively for the next stages of their lives.
Other inspection methods used by OFSTED include: Communicating with pupils and teaching staff about the school Taking into consideration school evaluations undertaken by local authorities Meeting with the headteacher and senior staff members in order to discuss their findings and provide oral feedback After the inspection OFSTED will: Write a full report on the findings of their inspection Send this report to the school in order to receive feedback The completed report is then published by OFSTED within twenty eight days of the inspection The school is required by law to provide a copy of the report to the parents of all pupils.
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Continue No thanks. Sign up to the Engage newsletter for education insights. Sign up No thanks. The consistency of answers from all groups provided a robust set of criteria. As professionals, teachers have a pretty good idea of what makes a good classroom and what makes good learning. Ofsted focuses primarily on maths and English, and what is most easily measurable. They marginalise other creative aspects of school life, such as art, drama, sport or a range of student-led initiatives.
Often these changes are ones many of us have long advocated, such as differential reviews in which some schools are given greater support than others. While there are many outstanding Ofsted inspectors, they are hamstrung in terms of what and how they have to inspect, living with the legacy of a process and protocols which are widely seen by teachers as neither fair nor effective.
Should we scrap Ofsted? The pros, cons and alternatives. They marginalise other creative aspects of school life Secret Teacher: I see Ofsted for what it is — a purposeless farce. Read more. Reuse this content.
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