Ofsted has criticised schools that were “overly focused” on exam techniques this term, as secondaries prepared for the first set of GCSE and A-level exams in three years.
This term is the first time schools have been inspected under Ofsted’s current Education Inspection Framework while preparing for the summer exams.
The watchdog’s new report on education recovery, based on inspection findings from the summer term, highlights how some schools have helped students to develop exam techniques.
Schools that managed this without it overshadowing the curriculum were praised by Ofsted, but in others the focus of lessons was being “overly narrowed” to focus on exams, inspectors found.
The report also says that some schools focused “too heavily on exam technique before the pandemic”.
The curriculum-focused inspection framework was launched in September 2019, before the Covid pandemic led to exams being cancelled in both 2020 and 2021.
Ofsted inspection findings from the summer term
Here are Ofsted’s key findings, laid out in today’s report:
1. Schools were taking extra steps to prepare for exams
Ofsted’s report highlights how schools have helped students to develop exam techniques this term.
It says this usually meant completing practice exam papers and questions, often under timed conditions, so that students knew what to expect.
The report states: “While inspectors saw good practice in schools that balanced helping pupils to revise their subject knowledge with preparing them for exams, in some schools the curriculum was being overly narrowed to focus on exam topics, which may affect pupils’ readiness for the next stage.”
The new report also highlights how some schools were providing evening revision sessions and remained open for students throughout the Easter holiday. Ofsted notes that this increased staff workload.
The inspectorate says it was told by some students that they appreciated their teachers’ efforts to prepare them and felt that their teachers were “doing all they can”.
2. Exam anxiety higher among students and staff
Some school leaders highlighted that exam anxiety was higher among students this summer than before the pandemic.
This year’s Year 11 and Year 13 students’ last experience of a formal assessment was in primary school. Ofsted reported that some students said that they did not feel ready to sit exams because they did not feel confident in their knowledge and/or exam technique.
Inspectors also recognised there was exam stress and anxiety among some staff. Leaders in schools more heavily affected by the pandemic were worried that their schools’ results would be affected disproportionately, the report finds.
The watchdog warns that in some schools, this anxiety was transmitted to students.
3. Concern over primary pupils’ readiness for next stage
This summer term, primary leaders told Ofsted that some pupils were not as ready for the next stage as they would usually be - across the age range.
Some children who will be starting in Reception year do not have the independence or social skills that they usually would, the report says.
And some Reception children were also not as ready for Year 1 as they would usually be - although Ofsted said most schools have supported children in this year group well, particularly in speech and language development.
The inspectorate had heard concerns from heads about key stage 1 pupils who missed out on early teaching and have not yet caught up, particularly in phonics and handwriting.
The report also notes that Year 6 pupils have had less experience in the foundation subjects because of the pandemic. It says that secondary schools will need to consider this for children starting in September 2022.
4. SEND pupils hardest hit by Covid
The new report says that, across the year, leaders and staff have identified pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as being hardest hit by the pandemic, with some missing out on tailored support, resulting in more pronounced gaps in knowledge and skills.
Ofsted says some school leaders are seeking to refer more pupils for SEND assessments than they would have done before the pandemic, and inspectors were also told that parents have been more likely to ask about SEND assessments for their child.
The watchdog also notes that disruption to teaching and the closure of schools are likely to have hindered SEND identification for some pupils.
It says that in the summer term, some school leaders were still questioning whether concerns had been raised because pupils had SEND or whether these additional needs were the result of pandemic disruption. These additional needs could be gaps in knowledge caused by missed learning and delays in speech and language development because of fewer opportunities for social interaction.
5. Link between persistent absence and Covid concerns
Ofsted found that in most schools, leaders said that pupils’ attendance had improved following a peak in Covid-19 cases during the spring term.
Some leaders said that attendance was now back to pre-pandemic levels - but other schools were still experiencing higher absence rates than before the pandemic.
Leaders said persistent absences were often related to Covid-19; for example, because of pupils’ or parents’ anxiety about catching it.
The report says that, in special schools, parental anxiety was common when pupils had medical needs that could be exacerbated by Covid-19.
6. Covid absence and tutoring time curtailing clubs and enrichment
Ofsted warns that schools have found it a challenge to provide enrichment activities and clubs. It says this has been down to Covid-related staff absence, as well as increased workload caused by staff delivering tutoring and catch-up sessions.
Some leaders also told Ofsted that the rising cost of living for families may prevent pupils’ uptake of enrichment activities, both for the summer term and in the future, as well as schools’ ability to subsidise such activities.
7. Behaviour improving
Ofsted says that behaviour issues were most common when pupils returned to school in autumn 2021. By the summer term it found that most pupils’ behaviour had settled back to how it was before the pandemic, or was getting back on track.
The inspectorate says that where pupils’ behaviour settled well, staff and leaders had spent time “re-establishing high expectations with pupils and parents, and were consistent in their approach”.
8. Recruitment difficulties
In some schools Ofsted found that staff turnover has been higher than before the pandemic. It says this has exacerbated the ongoing challenge of staff recruitment. In some mainstream and special schools, recruiting staff with SEND expertise has been a particular challenge, the report says.
‘Creativity and resilience’
Commenting on the findings, Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said: “It’s clear that education providers are responding to the ongoing challenges of Covid with creativity and resilience.
“But the pandemic and lockdowns created some distinct problems, which are taking time to shift.
“Some young children are still behind in their development; older children are experiencing higher levels of exam anxiety than usual; and difficulties recruiting and retaining staff have been exacerbated across all phases of education.”
