1. education
2. school

Derby Diocesan School Improvement Service
Journey to Outstanding
Sue Vasey
Senior School
Improvement officer
Derby City Council
Mark Mallender
Director of Schools
Derby Diocese
Knuckling down and succeeding in school puts an
average of £140,000 in a young person’s back pocket
Achieving 5 A* to C GCSE grades,
including the vital English and maths
subjects, adds £80,000 to a student’s
earnings over their lifetime.
A further £60,000 is added to their
wages if they go on to achieve at
least 2 A levels, highlighting the
economic value of the increased
knowledge, confidence and
employability that arises from
success in school.
The Ofsted website has
moved to GOV.UK.
• GOV.UK is the new home for all Ofsted’s published
information including framework and policy
documents, good practice resources, news and
speeches, survey reports, registration guidance,
statistics and consultations.
• Inspection reports will not be moving. Instead, they
can be found at www.reports.ofsted.gov.uk
• National Archive website contains all old documents.
One of the world’s leading government websites’
and won the 2013 ‘Design of the Year’ for “its
well thought out yet understated design, making
the user experience simpler, clearer and faster”.
‘
Summer born
• Heads and local authorities will
decide when summer born
children should start school if a
parent requests their child is
admitted outside their normal
age group.
• Whilst there is no statutory
barrier to children being
admitted outside their normal
age group, parents do not have
the right to insist their child is
admitted to any particular age
group.
2014
Floor Standards for
Primary Schools
For 2014 performance, a primary school is
deemed to be below the floor standards when all
of these criteria apply:
• fewer than 65% of pupils achieve Level 4 or
above in all of reading, writing and mathematics
• fewer than the median percentage (94%) make
expected progress in reading (average 91%)
• fewer than the median percentage (96%) make
expected progress in writing (93%)
• fewer than the median percentage (93%) make
expected progress in mathematics. (89%)
There are four ‘Excellence As Standard’
domains:
•
•
•
•
Qualities and knowledge
Pupils and staff
Systems and process
The self-improving
school system
Within each domain there are
six key characteristics expected
of the nation’s headteachers.
• This Code applies with immediate effect.
• It will apply to admission arrangements determined in 2015 for
admission in school year 2016/17 and any future years.
• The Code applies to admissions to all maintained schools in
England.
• It should be read alongside the School Admission Appeals Code.
It covers:
• admission arrangements
• applications and offers
• ensuring fairness and resolving issues
• relevant legislation
• It also features an admissions timeline.
It should be read alongside
the ‘School admission appeals code’.
Understanding and knowledge expected of pupils as a result of
schools promoting fundamental British values:
• an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through
the democratic process;
• an appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual
citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety;
• an understanding that there is a separation of power between the
executive and the judiciary, and that while some public bodies such as
the police and the army can be held to account through Parliament,
others such as the courts maintain independence;
• an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and
beliefs is protected in law;
• an acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to
oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should
not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour; and
• an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting
discrimination.
Examples of actions that a school can take:
• include in suitable parts of the curriculum, as appropriate for the age
of pupils, material on the strengths, advantages and disadvantages of
democracy, and how democracy and the law works in Britain, in
contrast to other forms of government in other countries;
• ensure that all pupils within the school have a voice that is listened to,
and demonstrate how democracy works by actively promoting
democratic processes such as a school council whose members are
voted for by the pupils;
• use opportunities such as general or local elections to hold mock
elections to promote fundamental British values and provide pupils
with the opportunity to learn how to argue and defend points of view;
• use teaching resources from a wide variety of sources to help pupils
understand a range of faiths, and
• consider the role of extra-curricular activity, including any run directly
by pupils, in promoting fundamental British values.
Exclusions
The School Reform Minister Nick Gibb
has removed the current guidance to
address some issues with process and the
DfE will be issuing updated guidance in
due course.
Reviewing bodies (such as
governing bodies, independent
review panels, management
committees, and proprietors)
should have regard to the
exclusion guidance issued in
September 2012 when
reviewing exclusion decisions
taken between 5 January to 1
February 2015.
Schools’ use of exclusion
Frequently asked questions:
• What information do inspectors have about
a school’s exclusions before an inspection?
• What will inspectors ask a school about
exclusions?
• What records will inspectors expect to see?
• If exclusions are high, will the school be penalised during an
inspection?
• Can high exclusions trigger an inspection?
• Isn’t exclusion inevitable in all schools?
• Isn’t it inevitable that more pupils with special educational
needs will be excluded than others?
• Are part-time timetables an acceptable alternative to exclusion?
• Do inspectors look at the use of internal exclusion?
• Will Ofsted look at off-site behaviour units during an inspection?
What will they want to see?
Summary of changes
Section 1 - The role of governing bodies
• The benefits of governing more than one school
• A more detailed explanation of what it means for governors to
play a strategic role
• The importance of verbal references in recruiting a headteacher
• The expectation that governors should determine the scope
and format of headteachers’ reports
• Clearer expectations around governors’ school visits
• New explanation of role of academy trustees as charity trustees
and company directors
• New section on governors’ personal liability
• Further details of support available to governors
Section 2 - Constitution and procedures
• New line on requirement on governing bodies to have regard
for the work/life balance of the headteacher.
Cyberbullying
Reception baseline assessment
The DfE are introducing a baseline assessment in reception
year, the reception baseline, to improve how they measure
primary schools’ progress.
• Government-funded schools that wish to use the
reception baseline assessment from September 2015
should sign up by the end of April. In 2022 we’ll then use
whichever measure shows the most progress: your
reception baseline to key stage 2 results or your key stage
1 results to key stage 2 results.
• From September 2016 you’ll only be able to use your
reception baseline to key stage 2 results to measure
progress. If you choose not to use the reception baseline,
from 2023 we’ll only hold you to account by your pupils’
attainment at the end of key stage 2.
Sign up for the reception baseline
The Standards and Testing Agency has approved
the following providers for the reception
baseline assessment:
• Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham
University (CEM)
• Early Excellence
• GL Assessment
• Hodder Education
• National Foundation for Educational Research
(NFER)
• Speech Link
• You should choose the reception baseline that best
fits your school’s needs and approach to assessment.
• Sign up by the end of April 2015 to start using the
reception baseline from 1 September 2015. You can
sign up after this, but your preferred provider might
not be available.
• If a provider doesn’t recruit a sufficient number of
schools they won’t be able to offer the reception
baseline. The DfE will contact you by 3 June 2015 if
you’ve chosen a provider that has been suspended you’ll then be able to choose an alternative approved
provider.
Millions in funding for former armed
services projects and awards for
schools announced.
The government’s plan for education includes a
£5 million pledge to ensure that more pupils
leave school prepared for the challenges of life
in modern Britain, including £4 million to reward
and spread the character work of school and
charities, and £1 million to research the most
effective approaches. An additional £5 million
has also been awarded to life-changing projects
run by former armed services personnel.
Winners of the Character Awards announced
27 schools and organisations win £15,000 for their work in
character education
East Midlands
• Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Derbyshire, which has
placed student well-being at its core. The character-based
tutorial programme is supported by extra-curricular activities.
All year 7 pupils undertake a project to explore character traits
and behaviours, and the programme permeates the whole
school
• Babington Community College in Leicestershire. The college’s
pledge, which is read daily at assemblies, emphasises the
importance of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law,
tolerance and respect for others
Authorised Absence
Keeping children safe – supplementary advice
Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009.
• staff who work in early years provision (including
teachers and support staff working in school nursery
and reception classes);
• staff working in later years provision for children who
have not attained the age of 8 including before school
settings, such as breakfast clubs, and after school
provision;
• staff who are directly concerned in the management of
such early or later years provision.
Schools should ask existing employees working in these
settings and those who are directly concerned in the
management of such provision to provide the relevant
information not only about themselves but also about
any person who lives or works in the same household
as them. They should also ask for this information as
part of the pre-employment checks they undertake on
appointing new staff.
If teachers or support staff
live with someone
convicted of these offences,
they must disclose this fact
if asked to do so by their
employer.
Previously, they would have
been suspended while they
applied to Ofsted for a
waiver, allowing them to
return to work.
• The new rules state that, while waiting for a waiver to
be processed, “a member of staff could be disqualified
from working with children of Reception age or under
in a school, but could work with children aged 6 and 7,
provided that they were not working them in childcare
provision, outside of normal school hours”.
• If a teacher decides not to apply for a waiver, or the
waiver application is declined, it would be up to the
school to consider whether to redeploy that teacher,
“or whether steps should be taken to legitimately
terminate their employment”…
Safeguarding- Inspection update
• The DfE guidance Keeping children safe in education:
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges explains
what information needs to be kept on the single
central record.
• There is no requirement for the SCR to include the
name of the person who did the checks. The
affirmation that is has been checked and the date of
the check, are still required.
SCR check EF – January 2015
Evidence form – S5
Inspection №
Inspector’s OIN
Date
Time of day
/ /
Observation type (please tick one box only)
Lesson observation
Work analysis
Discussions
Focus (inspection trail or main purpose of the
Context (lesson objective or description of activity)
EF №
Other
activity)
Effectiveness of safeguarding procedures required checks on staff
Single central record
(Reference document – Keeping children safe in education DfE April 2014)
Information gathered for lesson observations only
Grouping
Gender
Subject
MC SU SA SL O
(see footnote1)
codes
B G MI
Evidence The SCR must cover the following people:
Important notes
/x
Year
group (s)

All staff, including supply staff, who work in school

All others who work in regular contact children in school, including
volunteers

For independent schools, including academies, free schools, all
members of the proprietorial body
SCR required checks carried out, certificates obtained
and the date on which the checks were completed
Name
/x
Identify check
Barred list check
Enhanced DBS check**
Prohibition from teaching check*
Further checks on people living or working outside the UK
Check on professional qualifications
Check to establish the person’s right to work in the UK
Checks are dated
Disqualification by association check (note -this does not need to be on the SCR)
The school has asked existing employees (and new employees as part of preemployment checks) working in early or later years settings and those who are
directly concerned in the management of such provision to provide the relevant
information not only about themselves but also about a person who lives or
works in the same household as them.
*New teaching appointments from April 2014 – schools can access the
Employer Access Online Service (DfE/NCTL)
**please note that there is no requirement to list DBS numbers. Also, to comply with
Data Protection, DBS certificates should not be retained any longer than six months. Other
documents to verify identity, right to work in the UK etc, should be kept in personnel files.
Evaluation
Present
/NOR
Volunteers
 Unsupervised volunteers should not be left alone or allowed
to work in regulated activity.
 For new volunteers in regulated activity who regularly teach
children unsupervised an enhanced DBS is needed with a
barred list check.
 For new volunteers not in regulated activity, schools should
obtain an enhanced DBS certificate.
 Existing volunteers who provide personal care, the school
should consider obtaining an enhanced DBS.
 Existing volunteers who are unsupervised do not need to have
a DBS check with a barred list check because the volunteer
should have been checked originally.
 For existing volunteers not in regulated activity there is no
requirement for an enhanced DBS check (a school can request
one but may not request a check of the barred list).
 For a volunteer not engaging in regulated activity a risk
assessment should be made and a professional judgement
made about the need for an enhanced DBS check.
 Supervision of volunteers – there must be supervision by a
person in regulated activity, where supervision occurs, this
must be regular and day to day and the supervision must be
reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure the protection
of children.
Regulated activity
Regulated activity (see p17 for definition) – the period condition
is at any time on more than three days in any period of 30 days.
‘Frequently’ is doing something once a week or more. Work of
the nature defined (p17) is considered regulated activity if done
regularly; where this is the case an enhanced DBS check is
needed with a barred list check.
Contractors
Contractors or employees of contractors working at the school
should have the appropriate level of DBS check if a check is
required, eg if the contractor is carrying out teaching or
providing a level of care or supervision of children regularly.
Evidence of SMSC
Use for grades if there is sufficient evidence:
Time spent in this lesson (mins)
Leadership and management
Behaviour and safety of pupils
Running EF?
Quality of teaching
Achievement of pupils
No of lessons included in running EF
Early years provision
Sixth form provision
If yes, cumulative time (mins)
NQT
ITE provider
1
ITE route
Special focus, complete if necessary
Grouping codes: MC = Mixed ability class; SU = Setted, upper ability; SA = Setted, average ability; SL = Setted, lower ability; O = Other
Y N
Ministers are "working on a solution" to avoid a
drop in school funding for disadvantaged pupils
because all England's infants now get free meals.
Mr Laws said: "We're working on a medium-term
solution which would remove the bureaucracy
we've had going back for years and years where
parents have had to sign up for free school meals
where there's often been a stigma in doing so a
lot of them haven't done that. It is sensible to
have a data sharing arrangement in Government
so we can automatically identify these people so
there is no stigma about allocating the money.”
• ARK
2 by 2
HMCI Annual Report 2014
Executive summary
1. Primary schools in England are getting better, but
improvement in secondary schools has stalled.
2. Strong leadership is crucial but not enough schools
have good leaders.
3. The best schools focus on high-quality teaching.
4. Good teachers are in short supply where they are
needed most.
5. Secondary schools are not stretching our most able
pupils.
6. Although children from poor backgrounds are doing
better, particularly at primary, they are still too far
behind other pupils.
7. The right school culture is critical for improvement.
8. Without effective challenge, support and
intervention, many underperforming schools do not
improve.
9. It is too early to judge the overall performance of
free schools.
10. Too many academies do not receive effective
challenge and support.
11. Schools have responded positively to the challenge
of inspection. (Two thirds of those schools reinspected this year that were previously judged as
requires improvement got to good or outstanding)
Factors associated with improved teaching
Schools that improved their quality of teaching and learning have tended to:
• have high expectations of teaching staff and keep them
enthused
• engage governors in discussions about the
effectiveness of teaching
• ensure that middle leaders are trained in how to
support and develop teaching staff
• make good use of internal expertise and links with
other schools to expose their staff to good practice
• ensure that teachers assess pupils’ abilities accurately
• put in place rigorous systems for monitoring pupils’
progress and diagnosing how teachers can be
supported to improve their practice.
Problems that can hold schools back from making
improvements to their teaching and learning:
• some headteachers passing over to middle leaders the
accountability for the quality of teaching and learning,
rather than taking the lead themselves
• inconsistent approaches by those middle leaders to
staff development
• a lack of professional challenge and high quality
feedback to staff on the extent of their subject
knowledge
• teachers not knowing their pupils well enough and
giving them tasks that are not suitable for their level of
ability
East Midlands regional report
Initial teacher education
The quality of initial teacher
education in the East Midlands is
good with one provider, the
University of Nottingham, judged
as outstanding. However, there
are fewer recruits being trained
per 1,000 pupils than across
England as a whole and the
region has an above average level
of teacher vacancies.
Summary
• Educational provision in the East Midlands is plagued by
mediocrity.
• In the East Midlands, the likelihood of children and young
people doing well depends very much on where they live. The
region’s landforms and history play a big part in the quality of
education and social outcomes.
• There are three key issues:
– White British children from poor families achieve much
less well than others
– children in the care system do badly and, as a group, their
achievement is among the worst in the country
– children with English as an additional language are not
getting the start they need to enable them to do well.
Message to inspectors from the National
Director, Schools (Sean Harford HMI)
…to place greater emphasis:
• How the school prepares pupils for the next stage of
their education, employment or training, including
through careers guidance
• The way the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral,
social and cultural development, including the
promotion of fundamental British values
• The effectiveness of the work of the school’s governors,
including the impact of the use of the pupil premium
• The provision and outcomes for different groups of
children, notably the most-able pupils and the
disadvantaged
Roma pupils need more support, says Ofsted
• Historically, Gypsy/Roma pupils have had the poorest
outcomes of any ethnic group in England in terms of
attainment, attendance and exclusions.
• The number of Gypsy/Roma pupils in schools has been
increasing over time and rose by 13.7% last year, from
16,735 in January 2013 to 19,030 in January 2014,
Ofsted reports.
• Three local councils (Derby, Manchester and Sheffield)
and 11 schools with a large intake of Roma pupils from
Eastern Europe.
• Head teachers reported no adverse effect on the
achievement of other pupils already in their schools.
• Some schools had struggled to get pupils to follow school
routines and behave appropriately.
• Accessing funding for Roma pupils, as well as finding staff
with the necessary expertise to help them, had proven
difficult.
• Ofsted recommends that local authorities should ensure that
there is a dedicated and knowledgeable senior leader who
can push forward the local authority's strategies for
improving outcomes for Roma pupils.
• It says the Department for Education should consider how
the allocation of existing funding could more accurately
reflect the changes in the number of eligible pupils on roll
throughout the school year.
2015
Updates
• Revisions to paras 14 and 15 on inspecting
religious education and collective worship
in schools with a religious character
• Curriculum: Para 152 - 10th bullet point
• The teaching of mathematics (para 55) to
reflect DfE guidance.
• Additional information on using GCSE data
in light of changes to GCSE examination
structure and early entry (para 57).
• Revision to wording around equalities in
SMSC in paras 152, 165 and the
'inadequate' grade descriptor for
leadership and management (p50) to
reflect terminology in the Equalities Act.
Inspecting the teaching of mathematics
55. ….how well teaching, in the mathematics lessons
observed, through discussions with pupils and scrutiny
of their work and by reviewing curriculum plans:
– fosters mathematical understanding of new concepts and
methods, including teachers’ explanations and the way
they require pupils to think and reason mathematically for
themselves
– ensures that pupils acquire mathematical knowledge
appropriate to their age and starting points, and enables
them to recall it rapidly and apply it fluently and
accurately, including when calculating efficiently and in
applying arithmetic algorithms
– uses resources and approaches to enable pupils in the class to
understand and master the mathematics they are learning. The
national curriculum for mathematics specifies the aims and then
states, ’The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through
the programmes of study at the same pace.’
– develops depth of understanding and readiness for the next stage. The
national curriculum states, ‘Decisions about when to progress should
always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their
readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts
rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and
sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content.
Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should
consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice,
before moving on.’
– enables pupils to solve a variety of mathematical problems, applying
the mathematical knowledge and skills they have been taught.
• how well pupils apply their mathematical knowledge and skills
in other subjects in the curriculum, where appropriate
152. Inspectors should consider how well
leadership and management ensure that
the curriculum:
...promotes tolerance of and respect for people
of all faiths (or those of no faith), races, genders,
ages, disability and sexual orientations (and
other groups with protected characteristics)
through the effective spiritual, moral, social and
cultural development of pupils, including
through the extent to which schools engage
their pupils in extra-curricular activity and
volunteering within their local community
Leadership and management
Inadequate:
 Leaders and governors, through their words,
actions or influence, undermine the
promotion of tolerance of and respect for
people of all faiths (or those of no faith) races,
genders, ages, disability and sexual
orientations (and other groups with protected
characteristics) and so do not support and
help prepare pupils positively for life in
modern Britain.
Attendance
Research based on pupil
absence and exam results
data reveals the link
between attendance and
achievement.
• Even short breaks from
school can reduce a
pupil’s chances of
succeeding at school by
as much as a quarter
Autumn and spring terms of the 2013 to 2014 academic
year show that:
• 10.1 million fewer school days were lost to absence
than in the same period in 2009 to 2010, from 45.8
million to 35.7 million - the lowest level since
comparable records began
• the overall rate of absence was 4.4% compared to 6%
in the same period in 2009 to 2010 - again the lowest
level since comparable records began
• almost 1 million fewer school days were lost to termtime holidays - from 3.3 million in the same period last
year to 2.5 million this year
Primary:
• Pupils missing up to just 14 days of school in
key stage 2 are a quarter less likely to achieve
level 5 or above in reading, writing or maths
tests than those with no absence.
• Pupils with no absence were around 1.5 times
more likely to achieve the expected level
(level 4 or above), and 4.5 times more likely
to achieve above the expected level (level 5
or above), than pupils that missed 15 to 20%
of key stage 2
Secondary:
• pupils with the lowest 5% of absence rates were more
than 4 times more likely to achieve 5 good GCSEs,
including English and maths, and 22 times more likely
to achieve the English Baccalaureate, than pupils with
the highest 5% of absence rates
• pupils with no absence from school were nearly 3
times more likely to achieve 5 A* to C GCSEs,
including English and maths, and around 10 times
more likely to achieve the English Baccalaureate, than
pupils missing 15 to 20% of school across key stage 4
The link between pupil health and
wellbeing and attainment
Key points from the evidence
1. Pupils with better health and wellbeing are
likely to achieve better academically.
2. Effective social and emotional competencies
are associated with greater health and
wellbeing, and better achievement.
3. The culture, ethos and environment of a
school influences the health and wellbeing of
pupils and their readiness to learn.
4. A positive association exists between
academic attainment and physical activity
levels of pupils.
What makes great
teaching?
Strongest evidence of improving
pupil attainment are:
• teachers’ content knowledge,
including their ability to understand
how students think about a subject
and identify common
misconceptions
• quality of instruction, which
includes using strategies like
effective questioning and the use of
assessment
Good evidence of improving attainment
include:
• challenging students to identify the reason
why an activity is taking place in the lesson
• asking a large number of questions and
checking the responses of all students
• spacing-out study or practice on a given
topic, with gaps in between for forgetting
• making students take tests or generate
answers, even before they have been taught
the material
Not supported by evidence include:
1. Using praise lavishly
2. Allowing learners to discover key ideas for
themselves
3. Grouping learners by ability
4. Re-reading and highlighting
5. Addressing issues of confidence and low
aspirations
6. Teaching to a learner’s preferred learning
style
7. Active learners remember more than
passive learners
October 2014 update
• The addition of one new topic: Reading comprehension
strategies.
• Extending school time.
• The inclusion of findings from EEF projects into five
strands: Mentoring, Meta-cognition and self-regulation,
Oral language interventions, Reading comprehension
strategies and Summer schools.
• Updated entries for Aspiration interventions and Small
group tuition.
• New Toolkit Talks for Mastery learning, Mentoring, Oral
language interventions, Outdoor adventure learning
and Repeating a year.
The report's seven recommendations for schools are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
TAs should not be used as an informal teaching
resource for low-attaining pupils
Use TAs to add value to what teachers do, not
replace them
Use TAs to help pupils develop independent
learning skills and manage their own learning
Ensure TAs are fully prepared for their role in
the classroom
Use TAs to deliver high-quality one-to-one and
small group support using structured
interventions
Adopt evidence-based interventions to
support TAs in their small group and one-toone instruction
Ensure explicit connections are made between
learning from everyday classroom teaching
and structured interventions.
New commission on
primary assessment
• A teacher-led commission is being set up to help
primary schools in England find new ways of
assessing their pupils' progress.
• The commission will help schools develop their own,
more accurate assessment systems that truly show
how a child is performing in the classroom.
• National tests for seven- and 11-year-olds based on
the new national curriculum are also being drawn up.
• The Commission on Assessment Without Levels will
be led by former head teacher of the London Oratory
School John McIntosh, who was also a member of
the government's advisory committee on its review
of the national curriculum.
Citizenship
for Key Stage 1 and 2
This programme is
non-statutory and
schools are not
required to follow it.
It is included so that
schools can plan a
whole curriculum.
Second phase of pioneering Shanghai
maths teacher exchange begins
• Primary school pupils across the
country are set to benefit as a second
group of Shanghai’s top teachers
arrive in England to share their worldclass approach to maths teaching and
help further raise standards in the
subject.
• The exchange has encouraged
teachers to change the way they
approach lesson planning to develop a
deep understanding and fluency in
mathematics.
• The teachers will spend 3 weeks in selected primary schools,
working in partnership with their local maths hub, led by a
school chosen for their high-quality maths teaching and subject
specialism.
• The exchange’s focus on primary-level maths mirrors the
emphasis Shanghai teachers place on establishing core skills at
a young age to give pupils a sound basis for moving on to more
advanced concepts.
• In September 2014, 71 top maths teachers from across England
travelled to Shanghai to spend time with their exchange
partners in high-performing schools and colleges across the
region.
• A further phase of the exchange is set to take place in the
autumn and spring terms of the 2015 to 2016 academic year
focusing on secondary maths teaching.
Pupil premium - You must include the following:
• your pupil premium allocation for the current academic year
• details of how you intend to spend your allocation
• details of how you spent your previous academic year’s
allocation
• how it made a difference to the attainment of disadvantaged
pupils
• The funding is allocated for each financial year, but the
information you publish online should refer to the academic
year, as this is how parents and the general public understand
the school year.
• As allocations will not be known for the latter part of the
academic year (April to July), you should report on the funding
up to the end of the financial year and update it when you have
all the figures.
Executive summary
• A new Common Inspection Framework for all
early years settings on the Early Years Register,
maintained schools and academies, nonassociation independent schools and further
education and skills providers.
• Short inspections for maintained schools,
academies and further education and skills
providers that were judged good at their last full
inspection.
Next steps:
Continue to pilot short inspections and the
Common Inspection Framework in the spring
term 2015. Ofsted will then publish the
Common Inspection Framework and
inspection handbooks for each remit in the
summer term 2015.
Key findings:
As part of the new Common Inspection
Framework, Ofsted also consulted on proposals
for:
• the areas that inspectors will make graded
judgements on during full inspections
• additional judgements for early years settings
and sixth forms that are part of a school
• additional judgements on areas of FE and
skills provision.
•
•
•
•
Inspecting the curriculum
Those judged outstanding
Unannounced inspections
A focus on music in inspections
Inspector quality and consistency
From September 2015, Ofsted will contract with
inspectors individually for schools, non-association
independent schools and FE and skills providers.
knowledge and experience regularly.
• 2800 applied
• 2284 on-line assessment
• 1609 passed to go onto two/three
day training
• 70% school based
Addressing Disadvantage
Closing the Gap Report
2015 East Midlands KS2
qualifiers
• All Hallows CofE Primary School
• Carrington Primary and Nursery
School
• Coppice Primary School
• Crompton View Primary School
• English Martyrs' Catholic
Primary
• Glapton Primary and Nursery
School
• Griffe Field Primary School
• Hady Primary School
• Hallam Fields Junior School
• Haydn Primary School
• Hopping Hill Primary School
• Humberstone Junior School
• Irchester Community Primary
School
• Louth Kidgate Primary School
• Norbridge Academy
• Orchard Primary School and
Nursery
• Park Primary School
• Peafield Lane Primary and
Nursery School
• Porchester Junior School
• St Andrew's CofE Primary and
Nursery School
• St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary
School
• St Giles CE VA Primary School
• St John's CofE Primary School
• St Margaret Clitherow Catholic
Primary School
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary
School
• Taylor Road Primary School
Disadvantaged
boys learn to pick
up an e-book
New technology is unlocking the key to the poor
performance of white working-class boys in
reading, according to research published by the
National Literacy Trust:
• Touch-screen technology has switched on to
reading three- to five-year-old boys and, more
generally, children from disadvantaged homes.
• Twice as many boys as girls look at or read online
stories for longer than they read traditional
books (24% compared to 12%).
• Almost twice as many children from
disadvantaged backgrounds spend longer
reading books online than they do browsing
through traditional books, compared to their
more affluent peers.
• Reading online has improved children’s
vocabulary.
KEY
FINDINGS:
• The wide variation in results between
schools with similar intakes shows that there
is a lot of scope to raise performance
• Some schools will need to shift their focus
towards core academic subjects and raising
attainment across the whole ability range to
avoid falling in national league tables and most importantly - to improve social mobility
for their pupils
• Some teachers’ expectations of students
from disadvantaged backgrounds are too low
and getting the best teachers to teach in the
worst schools requires stronger incentives,
including higher pay
• Schools should do more to learn from the
‘code breakers’, following five key steps to
improve students’ life chances
The 5 key steps that the schools
commonly identified include:
1. Using the Pupil Premium strategically to improve social mobility
• inform their use of their Pupil Premium funding with data-driven
analysis of why, how and where poor children are falling behind.
• deploy that funding to address those barriers, using the school’s
freedom to innovate and informed by the evidence on what works
• They also carefully examine the potential impact of income
poverty on students’ learning
2. Building a high expectations, inclusive culture
• high expectations of all staff and all students.
• implementation of a firm and consistent behaviour policy and
• a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude to improving standards and results
among all students
3. Incessant focus on the quality of teaching
• It includes prioritising recruitment and development of staff,
partnering with other schools to help teachers develop,
• ensuring disadvantaged students have at least their fair share of
the best teachers’ time
4. Tailored strategies to engage parents
• having high expectations of parents and building engagement
5. Preparing students for all aspects of life not just for exams
• supporting children’s social and emotional development and the
character skills that underpin learning.
• to identify career goals early and providing excellent careers advice
• treating extracurricular activities as key to the school experience
• encouraging a strong focus on working with business and
universities
There is one final strategy that some schools
mentioned that need to be considered if
prospects for a level playing field of educational
opportunity are to be realised. Walking the walk
on fair admissions. This means governors and
heads recognising that securing a socially
diverse student body can enhance the education
experience of all students.
John Dunford:
Ten-point plan for spending
the pupil premium
successfully
Step 1: Set an ambition for what you want
your school to achieve with PP funding.
Step 2: The process of decision-making on PP
spending starts with an analysis of the barriers
to learning for PP pupils.
Step 3: Decide on the desired outcomes of
your PP spending.
Step 4: Against each desired outcome, identify
success criteria.
Step 5: Evaluate your current PP strategies.
Step 6: Research the evidence of what works
best.
Step 7: Decide on the optimum range of
strategies to be adopted.
Step 8: Staff training.
Step 9: Monitor the progress of PP-eligible
pupils frequently.
Step 10: Put an audit trail on the school website
for PP spending.
Pupil Premium
Reviews
When you should commission a review
• Any time, Ofsted , Department for Education, LA etc
• Within 2 weeks
Find a reviewer
• An independent expert with a recent track record as a
school leader in raising the achievement of disadvantaged
pupils
• An online directory where you can find independent
experts who are system leaders designated by the National
College for Teaching
• Specifically, you may wish to seek a reviewer who can
demonstrate they have had a leadership role at a school
with, using the 3 year rolling average figures published by
the Department for Education
Derby City
Pupil
Premium
Champions
Improving outcomes of white
working-class students
• White boys and girls from poor or
working-class families are achieving lower
grades in school than children from
immigrant households.
• Pupils with Chinese and Indian
backgrounds are at the top of the
educational pile, followed by students of
Bangladeshi, African, Pakistani and
Caribbean origin.
Wilshaw
‘Immigrant communities have
added value to this country’s
performance . . . Where
families believe in education,
children do well . . .
There is absolutely no excuse
for any parent, whatever their
ethnicity, for not protecting
their children.’
Factors that may contribute to white
working class underachievement
Family and home factors :
• Impact of social and economic deprivation
• Problems with students’ aspirations. This is a contested
area with some identifying low aspirations as the
problem while others argue that lack of aspirational
capability is the real issue
• Poverty of expectation
• Lack of social and cultural capital
• Failure of parents to engage with education
• Poor parenting skills
• Failure of parents to develop their children’s language
skills
School factors:
• Unresponsive curriculum – not attuned to the needs
and interests of students
• Unsuitable pedagogy that fails to motivate and inspire
• Failing to crack down on absence
• High rates of fixed term exclusions
• Problems faced by schools in managing the poor
behaviour of a minority of disruptive boys (linked to
wider white working class concepts of masculinity)
which has a negative effect on the achievement of all
students
• A middle-class ethos that does not validate workingclassness
Wider social issues and other factors :
• Not enough white working class parents use
DfE data to choose the best schools for their
children
• Immigrant families place a higher value on
education
• Loss of traditional white working class jobs in
the economy with some regions more badly
affected than others
• Strong, inspirational and visionary leadership
supported by a capable management team: Many
are positive role models from working‐class
backgrounds or employ staff who understand the
needs of working class children.
• High expectations for all pupils including white
working class.
• Broad and inclusive curriculum
that raises aspiration, incorporates
aspects of pupils' own culture and
adds relevance and self esteem to
pupils' view of themselves.
• Detailed, rigorous examination of
performance undertaken regularly
and is followed by action that
leads to improvement.
• Teaching and learning of a high quality
informed by assessment of performance.
• Good and well‐targeted interventions and
support for White Working Class pupils to
challenge poverty and underachievement
through extensive use of teachers, teaching
assistants and learning mentors.
• Engaging parents and breaking down barriers.
• Increasing community
support, which earn the
schools the trust and respect
of parents.
• Good support for transition
between primary and
secondary school.
• Celebrate cultural diversity and
a strong commitment to equal
opportunities with a clear stand
on racism.
• Prepare students for all aspects
of life not just for exams
• Walking the walk on fair
admissions.
Self-assessment:
Where am I and my school in relation to the key
strategies used by effective schools?
You could use a 1 to 4 scale with 1 being
‘outstanding’ and 4 being ‘inadequate’!