Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash
In my final bumper briefing of this academic year I report on the publication of updated Inspection handbooks and Ofsted’s commentary on deep dives, as well as the DfE’s announcement of their preferred candidate for Chief Inspector of Ofsted. There has been confirmation that the expectation for schools to deliver a 32½ hour week has been delayed until September 2024, the refreshed School Sport and Activity Action Plan and updated guidance for primary schools has been published and the Education Secretary has confirmed a delay to publishing transgender guidance for schools. Have a great summer break and see you all in September!
Updated Ofsted Inspection Handbooks
At the end of last week Ofsted published updates to its Inspection Handbooks. The new handbooks will come into effect from September 2023 and links are provided below:
Changes to the Inspection handbook include adding a new section on conduct during inspections and providing confirmation of when schools are likely to undergo their next inspection.
Ofsted publishes commentary on deep dives
The commentary provides key insights into Ofsted’s deep dives, including the most common subjects for deep dives. Besides reading, the most common subjects for deep dives in primary schools are maths, history, geography and science. In secondary schools, the most common subjects for deep dives are English, maths, science, history and languages.
Sir Martyn Oliver recommended as new Chief Inspector of Ofsted
The Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, has confirmed that Sir Martyn has been selected as the DfE’s preferred candidate for Chief Inspector of Ofsted. He is currently the Chief Executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust and Ms Keegan said: “Sir Martyn has been selected as the preferred candidate because he is an accomplished school and trust leader with a track record of driving up standards in areas with high levels of disadvantage.” He will appear before the education committee in September and if approved, will begin his initial five-year term on 1 January 2024.
DfE delays the expectation for schools to offer a 32½ hour week to September 2024
This week the DfE published guidance on the Length of the school week, providing information on the expectation for all state-funded mainstream schools to deliver a school week of at least 32½ hours. As set out in the 2022 schools white paper, schools were going to be expected to offer 32½ hours per week by this September; however, this has been pushed back to September 2024.
Government publishes refreshed ‘School Sport and Activity Action Plan’ and updated guidance
The government pledged to refresh the plan earlier this year when they also announced new targets for schools to offer at least two hours of PE and sport per week and to provide equal opportunities to girls and boys. The guidance was updated alongside the release of the sport plan. It now includes additional advice on how to use the funding more effectively and highlights the importance of sustainability and equal access for all pupils. The guidance also confirms that schools must spend the premium in the academic year it has been allocated for and includes a new section on an upcoming digital reporting tool.
Education Secretary confirms delay to transgender guidance for schools
In a Parliamentary statement the Education Secretary has officially announced the delay to publishing transgender guidance for schools. Ms Keegan said the decision to delay the guidance has been made to “allow more time – to speak to teachers, parents, lawyers and other stakeholders – in order to ensure this guidance meets the high expectations that these groups rightly have for it”. No indication has been given of when the guidance will be published.
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