Agenda item - School OFSTED Presentation

This is a Standing Item which provides the opportunity for officers to update the Committee on Ofsted reports received since the last meeting of the Committee and on other relevant issues. This will take the form of an oral update.

Contact Officer: Hilary Ferries                                Tel: 29-3738

Ward Affected: All Wards

21.1    The Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion provided an update of schools that had undergone an Ofsted inspection since the previous meeting of the Children & Young People & Skills Committee.

21.2    The Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion stated that King’s School and City Academy Whitehawk had undergone an inspection in June 2015 and both had been rated as ‘Good’. The Royal Spa Nursery had also been inspected in June 2015 and had improved from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’. As of May 2015, 84% of schools in the city had been rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.

21.3    The Committee were advised that the Common Inspection Framework (CIF) would be used for inspections from September 2015. CIF would look at overall effectiveness, effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching learning and assessment, personal development behaviour and welfare, outcomes for children and learners, and the effectiveness of early years and sixth form provision where applicable. There would also be changes to the timings of inspections. The main changes were: ‘Outstanding’ schools would not have an inspection unless there was a decline in outcomes or there were other concerns; ‘Good’ schools would be inspected every three years; there would be no change to schools which were judged to ‘Require Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’.

21.4    Councillor O’Quinn understood that ‘Good’ schools were only inspected for one day, and asked if the school would have advance notice of any inspection. The Head of Standards & Achievement Education & Inclusion said that the school would be notified the day before, and the inspection would be conducted in one day if the inspectors felt they had obtained a view of the school in that time.

21.5    Councillor Taylor congratulated the King’s School and City Academy Whitehawk and the Royal Spa Nursery on their successful Ofsted Inspections. The Chair said that they were excellent outcomes, and he would be writing to the schools to congratulate them.

21.6    RESOLVED: That the presentation be noted.