A major headteachers’ union has backed Ofsted’s plans to create a new quality of education inspection grade but warned that schools must have autonomy over their curricula.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has also welcomed the inspectorate’s proposal to separate pupils’ personal development and behaviour into separate categories under its new inspection framework.
However, ASCL has called for Ofsted to drop the government’s English Baccalaureate targets from its inspection plans and said that it should not have a de-facto expectation that all schools will run a three-year key stage 3.
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Ofsted’s consultation on its new inspection framework closes today with the inspectorate having received more than 8,000 responses.
Today, ASCL has said that Ofsted’s plans to create a new quality of education grade which is less focused on exam results and more on the curriculum is a “step in the right direction.”
Ofsted plans to remove teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils as separate judgements within reports and subsume them into a new quality of education grade which would also look at the intent, implementation and impact of the curriculum.
Schools will still get an overall inspection grade as well.
ASCL’s general secretary, Geoff Barton, said: “Ofsted’s plan to focus on the quality of the curriculum and fixate less on test and exam results will not solve all the problems with a system which is too blunt and too punitive, but it is a step in the right direction and we welcome this important reform.
“The next step for the government must be to recognise that its addiction to an excessively stringent accountability system is not in the best interests of pupils. The language of inadequacy and failure stigmatises schools, making it harder to secure improvements, and demoralises communities. We need a more intelligent and supportive accountability system.”
ASCL has raised some concerns about Ofsted’s proposals for the new inspection framework.
It calls for Ofsted to drop plans for a lead inspector to arrive at a school the day before inspection for on-site preparation.
Tes revealed last year that inspectors could arrive at as little as 150 minutes’ notice under the plans which the inspectorate says are designed to make inspection less data driven.
ASCL’s response to the Ofsted consultation stated: “The move to same-day notice might be interpreted as a sign of mistrust in the profession and risks undermining the professional two-way relationship between the school or college leader and the inspector.
“Although the activity is called ‘preparation’, the reality for leaders is that, once inspectors are on site, the inspection has started.”
The headteachers’ union also said it “strongly disagrees with Ofsted’s proposal to refuse to look at a school’s internal progress and attainment data.
It added: “While we support efforts to reduce the amount of data collection carried out in schools, Ofsted’s proposal goes too far, and would prevent schools being able to provide evidence of improvement.”
Ofsted’s consultation over its new inspection framework closes today.
