Agenda item - School OFSTED Presentation

Update on Ofsted Inspections held since the last meeting of the Committee.

25.1    The Head of Education, Standards and Achievements provided an update on schools which had recently been inspected by Ofsted.

25.2    The Head of Education, Standards and Achievements was pleased to advise that Varndean Secondary School had retained its ‘Good’ rating, and Coombe Road Primary School had moved from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Elm Grove Primary had recently been inspected but the results were not yet available.

25.3    Councillor Brown congratulated Varndean and Coombe Road on their Ofsted rating, but was disappointed that no secondary school in the city had been assessed as being ‘Outstanding’. The Assistant Director, Education & Skills said that Varndean had been given a ‘Good’ rating with ‘Outstanding’ features, but under the current assessment framework it was difficult for any school to receive an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’.  The Assistant Director, Education & Skills said that the Council held workshops, led by Head Teachers from ‘Outstanding’ schools, to assist all schools to continue to drive through improvements to achieve the highest Ofsted rating.

25.4    Councillor Phillips suggested it would be useful to see the Ofsted report on Varndean to understand why it had been rated ‘Good’ rather than ‘Outstanding’. The Assistant Director, Education & Skills suggested that that could be provided at one of the workshops.

25.5    Councillor Hamilton was pleased to note that the Primary and Secondary Schools and the Pupil Referral Units in the city all exceeded the national average. Councillor O’Quinn said that the Pupil Referral Units had done incredibly well, and it was expected that they would be rated as ‘Outstanding’ in due course.

25.6    Resolved: That the report be noted.