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School Inspection UpdateKey Changes since January 2014

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17 June 2014

Name Farzana Aldridge – Strategic DirectorCaroline 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

Examples of leadership questions - Guidance Document 1

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

Subsidiary guidance on Performance Management - Guidance Document 2

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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Increased focus on governance - 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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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

● Good information from teachers essential● Governors overview of recruitment, retention and Performance

Management has a stronger focus. Key issues – robustness of Performance Management, quality of teaching and pay progression

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

Subsidiary guidance on Performance Management - Guidance Document 2Governors questions - Guidance Document 3

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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● Case study …

Overall effectiveness - outstandingOverall effectiveness

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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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 tochallenge 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