This week I report on the launch of an Ofsted consultation on changes to post-inspection arrangements as well as the Education Committee launching an inquiry into Ofsted’s work; the introduction of Valuation Office Agency visits to all secondary and special schools to ensure accurate information on pupil capacity is available for each school; a free video produced by a specialist safeguarding consultant on the changes to KCSIE for September and the launch of an Ofqual consultation on implementing a British sign language GCSE.

Ofsted consultation on changes to post-inspection arrangements
Earlier this week Ofsted launched a consultation on proposed changes including:

• Introducing new arrangements for considering formal challenges to inspection outcomes and replacing the current internal review process with a direct escalation to the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO).
• Changes to the complaints system, aimed at resolving complaints made by schools more quickly through improved dialogue and transparency, and the administrative burden on those making a complaint will be reduced.
• Changes to how Ofsted inspects safeguarding – at the moment, even when schools are rated mostly as Good, if the school is rated as Inadequate on safeguarding, the school will receive an Inadequate rating overall. This is due to the importance of keeping children safe. But, in very rare cases where a school fails because of safeguarding issues alone, Ofsted will now follow-up with a monitoring visit within three months to provide an opportunity for regrading. If the school has been able to resolve the safeguarding concerns, it is likely to see its overall grade improve. Ofsted will also make safeguarding requirements as clear as possible for schools and parents.
• Clarity around confidentiality policies – to reduce pressure on headteachers, Ofsted will make it clear that they are allowed to share the provisional outcomes of inspections privately with colleagues and get support from them before the report is finalised and shared with parents. Ofsted reports will also talk about what the school needs to do, to reduce public focus on individuals, including headteachers.
• Support for schools between inspections – Ofsted is giving schools more information about the timing of their next inspection. Schools will still get one day’s notice, but they will have more clarity about the year they are likely to be inspected. This will be particularly helpful for schools that have been exempt from inspection for many years. Outstanding schools are inspected less frequently than those with lower ratings. Outstanding schools that were last inspected before September 2015 are already receiving face-to-face seminars, to support them when the time comes for a new inspection.

Many of these changes, such as increased clarity about the timing of the next inspection (use this link to an Ofsted blog with rough timetables for schools based on when they were last inspected) and seminars for schools between inspections, will take effect immediately or are already being implemented. The rest introduced will be introduced from September 2023.

Also this week the Education Committee launched an inquiry into Ofsted’s work with schools, with the aim to assess how effectively Ofsted is fulfilling its role in inspecting schools and the impact of Ofsted judgements, amongst other areas. The committee has asked to hear people’s views on Ofsted and welcomes answers to the questions set out in its call for evidence. The deadline for evidence submissions is on Thursday 20 July 2023.

Valuation Office Agency (VOA) visits to secondary schools
As part of the DfE’s Net Capacity Assessment (NCA) programme, the VOA will visit every state-funded secondary school and special school in England. The programme aims to ensure accurate and up-to-date information on pupil capacity is available for each school. The VOA will measure rooms, record room types, and calculate the number of children each school can accommodate. Visits will start from July this year and conclude by August 2025.

Keeping Children Safe in Education from September 2023
Andrew Hall, a specialist safeguarding consultant, has produced a video explaining all the changes to KCSIE for September 2023. The online presentation is free to access immediately and you can register by using this link.

Consultation launched on teaching British sign language in schools
Ofqual has launched a 12 week consultation on the implementation of a British sign language GCSE. The consultation focusses on the qualification’s subject content and method of assessment and runs until 11:45pm on 7 September 2023.