Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman has warned that nearly all children in England have fallen behind in their education as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a new report published today, the watchdog also warns that, for many children, education was to “all intents and purposes put on ice” during the first national lockdown.
And it calls for improvements to be made in the training of teachers.
These are among the key findings in the chief inspector’s annual report that has been published today. Here is everything you need to know.
1. Nearly all children have fallen behind because of Covid
“Nearly all” children in England have fallen behind in their education and suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the inspectorate said today.
Ms Spielman has warned that, in primary and secondary schools, children struggled with a “hokey-cokey education: in the classroom, at home, separated in bubbles, isolating alone”.
She said that the impact of Covid has not aligned neatly with patterns of vulnerability or deprivation.
Ms Spielman said: “Even many of the highest achievers struggled with motivation away from the discipline and structure of school.
“And even the best teachers found it hard to translate classroom instruction and inspiration into lessons with the same impact at the kitchen table.”
She added: “We do not yet know the long-term effects of school closures. But it is very clear that in the understandable rush to protect us all in the first lockdown, the education of many of our children was to all intents and purposes put on ice.”
2. Recovery should involve a broad and rich curriculum
Ofsted has said that schools that already had a well-planned and implemented curriculum have been best placed to assess and adjust their teaching to get children to where they need to be.
The inspectorate has also said that weaker schools have struggled to adjust their curriculum following the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.
The inspectorate also said schools’ recovery efforts should not just be focused on learning loss.
The report adds: “For children to really regain a sense of normality in their lives and their education, we should not focus solely on bridging gaps in learning.
“Schools must once again become places where children can enjoy a rounded experience: a rich and broad curriculum, sport and physical activity, and extracurricular opportunities that broaden their horizons.”
3. Ofsted calls for improvement in teacher training quality
The quality and consistency of teacher education must be improved “to make sure that the new generation of teachers is set up for success in the classroom”, according to Ofsted.
It began inspecting initial teacher education providers under a new framework during the last academic year. The report says this framework “intentionally raised the bar“ on the quality of education and training provided to trainee teachers.
Before these inspections had been carried out, all Initial Teacher Education providers that had been inspected were rated “good” or “outstanding”.
But of the 36 inspections carried out in 2021, almost half were found to be less than good.
One provider was judged “outstanding”, 16 “good”, 12 “requires improvement” and seven are rated as “inadequate”.
Ofsted said these grades may not be representative of the whole sector because it is a small sample, and it prioritised new providers not previously inspected and those not inspected for the longest time.
4. Concern about rise in home education
Ms Spielman’s annual report also highlighted an increase in the number of parents choosing to keep children at home during 2020-21 amid the ongoing pandemic.
She said: “I remain concerned about the number of children apparently withdrawn from school to be home educated.
“While there has always been an energetic and enthusiastic home education community embracing parent-led schooling, the reality remains that the energy, time commitment and expertise needed to do the job well is beyond most parents’ capacity.”
She also said that it was notable that parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities were the most likely to keep their children out of school, “because of concerns either about the [Covid] virus or - justified or not - that the school was unable to meet their child’s needs”.
5. Ofsted wants to know why many children sent to AP never return to mainstream
The inspectorate has called for a better understanding of why many children who go to alternative provisions do not return to mainstream education.
The watchdog added: “We need a better understanding of what happens to the children who are removed from school.
“And we need to find and close illegal schools, which are operating under the radar and out of sight of authorities.”
The report calls for alternative provisions to be reformed to remove loopholes that it claims allow much of it to avoid regulation and oversight.
6. Majority of SEND area inspections find problems
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission had inspected 123 areas under its SEND area inspections by the end of August 2021.
Just over half (66 out of 123) of those inspected have been required to produce and submit a written statement of action (WSoA), an indication of significant weaknesses.
And of the eight areas inspected in this reporting year, seven required a WSoA.
Tes revealed two years ago that the majority of the first 100 SEND area inspections had identified significant weaknesses.
7. Warning over school closures after child tragedy
Closing schools again because of coronavirus could risk some children being left in greater danger at home, Ofsted’s chief inspector warned following the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Ms Spielman said there is a minority of children “who sadly are safer in school than out of it”.
Speaking at the launch of Ofsted’s annual report, she described the case of Arthur - who was abused and killed in his own home in Solihull last year - as a “tragedy” and a “callous murder”.
Asked whether she was worried that further school closures could result in other cases like Arthur’s going under the radar, she said: “Yes. Schools closing clearly has some significant risks for children around the reduction in quality of education for a large proportion.
“But we know that there is a minority of children who, sadly, are safer in school than out of it. And we have to recognise that, by closing schools, we make that minority less safe.”
