Having initially focused on intent and then implementation, Ofsted are already moving increasingly on to impact as a key area of focus during inspection. This was seen in recent inspections in three of the schools I work with regularly. Inspectors were now looking at the data the school showed them, and well as asking how the data was used by leaders. This is a shift away from earlier inspection practice under this framework. Their train of thought is moving very much towards, “So what is the impact of…?” when discussing aspects of the school’s work with leaders. Recently, the inspection hand ..read more

PSHE is not a deep dive subject, but inspectors definitely do focus on PSHE as part of the wider evidence gathering and evaluation to support the judgement for personal development. From schools and MATs I work with, here are twelve top tips to consider in relation to personal development and PSHE in school, not just for inspectors but as part of the school’s own self-evaluation processes, ensuring the best outcomes for the children. So, in no particular order: What does the information on the school website suggest about personal development in the school? Are the curriculum overviews for P ..read more

Recent Ofsted Updates Here is a selection of ofsted updates sent out over the last few weeks.  Click the links to download a summary and share with your staff…   Update 732 – Ofsted statement for schools affected by RAAC (Released: 29th April 2024) Ofsted have updated their guidance for inspecting education settings still affected by RAAC. This states that RAAC deferrals will continue for the summer term 2023/24. This Focus update provides the key messages. 732 – Ofsted statement for schools affected by RAAC   Update 731 – Creating a school behaviour culture – audit and action ..read more

Recent training for inspectors focused again on attendance. This was no surprise, with Ofsted releasing ‘An update on attendance with Ofsted and the DfE’ on their You Tube channel back in the Autumn. It’s worth a watch if you missed it, giving clarity about their expectations and how they will evaluate how schools are doing everything they can to improve attendance, but recognizing that context is key. And that schools can’t do everything! (Who knew?)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QryV8U7-mKY&t=855s Context really is key and it could be worth ensuring there is clarity amongst lead ..read more

Back in February 2020 there was a parliamentary debate on ‘Education and Attainment of White Working-Class Boys’. Part of the expert evidence stated that  ‘We know that on average boys consistently underperform against girls, and white boys from disadvantaged backgrounds underperform against boys of all other races and ethnicities.’ The issues around boys’ underperformance have rattled around in schools for years and evidently still persist. Evidence shows the differences between boys and girls can emerge from birth. According to some research it’s possible that sex-related genes or horm ..read more

This one slipped under the radar a little bit when it was first mentioned in Ofsted’s ‘Overview of Research’ (ref. 180045) back in 2019. This was the document that summarized the findings from worldwide research that underpinned the Education Inspection Framework (EIF). And it included one short paragraph when comparing adaptive teaching to differentiation by task: “…On the other hand, adapting teaching in a responsive way, for example by providing focused support to pupils who are not making progress, is likely to improve outcomes (Deunk et al., 2018; Education Endowment Foundation, 2018e ..read more

I broke my ankle once. It was late November, 2013, in Cuerden Valley, Lancashire. I was out with my running club on a Thursday night. I’d sprinted down a hill, trying to out-run one of my faster team mates. At the bottom of the hill, I pulled up too quickly in front of a stile. The ground was uneven. I lost my balance. My foot twisted beneath me. The pain was excruciating. I fell immediately, hit my head on the ground and smashed my head torch in the process. It was pitch black, freezing cold and we were several kilometers from civilisation. I came round to the sound of pounding feet and conc ..read more

We are now aware that children ‘doing more, knowing more and remembering more’ is something that is continually referred to in the Education Inspection Framework and Handbook. Most of us have made many moves, including creating several resources, to help with children’s retrieval or ‘ability to remember key knowledge’.   Igniting Children’s Prior Knowledge One of the important strategies is igniting children’s prior knowledge. To this end, we have activities such as linking children to their prior knowledge at the beginning of lessons being used regularly. For mathematics lessons, I regu ..read more

Most of us have an online presence these days, whether it’s to share our life celebrations, just surf the web for ideas, or follow what our favourite celebrities are up to – most of us have an account with a large social media company. For some of us, our toes are dipped further in, with participation in professional groups, posting events linked to our professional lives or sourcing resources and guidance online from the incredible community that is out there in education.   At my age, I remember being told our children would be ‘digital natives’ and that their world would be underpinne ..read more

In most of the training courses, geography or otherwise, I deliver on specific aspects of subjects, I make a point of referring to how children learn. Metacognition, by definition, is the understanding of one’s own thought processes, and in order to help children understand how they learn, we need to have an understanding ourselves of how they learn too. As educators, we are continuously putting together curriculum maps and learning progressions to ensure that children learn in manageable steps and that prior learning is continuously built upon by making appropriate links. This is a really im ..read more