1. Archdiocese of Cardiff Section 48/50 and Canonical Inspection
The new arrangements

2. Programme Welcome and introductions Opening Prayer Main changes
The Framework
The Self-evaluation Report and Guidance
The School information Form
Areas for Governors to consider
Discussion Groups
Refreshments break and collation of questions
Question and answer session
Inspectors share their experiences
Closing prayer and blessing

3. National Board of Religious Inspectors and Advisors
Estyn
The Province

4. The Bishop’s authority and Canon Law
‘The Bishop has the right to watch over and inspect the Catholic schools situated in his territory’ (Canon 806)

5. (Archbishop Peter Smith)
‘We have much to celebrate regarding the quality of Catholic education, and the inspection process is an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the staff, governors, parents, pupils and parish communities that work in and for our schools’
(Archbishop Peter Smith)

6. The Main changes

7. Self-evaluation and school improvement
Greater emphasis
Notice is shorter
4 weeks or 20 working days

8. Three key questions How good are outcomes? How good is provision?
How good are leadership and management?
Mirrors Section 28
Each question addresses the Catholic life of the school and curriculum religious education

9. Judgements No numerical grades 4 judgements Excellent Good Adequate
Unsatisfactory

10. Judgements (continued)
Overall effectiveness
Prospects for Improvement
How good are outcomes?
How good is provision?
How good are leadership and management?

11. Length of inspection Primary – process within one week
Monday to Wednesday (possibly Thursday depending on the size of the school)
Secondary – process within one week
Monday to Friday

12. Length of inspection (continued)
Estyn team arrive lunch time on the Monday for pre-inspection team meeting
Section 50 team arrive at 8am on Monday
Begin review of pupils’ work
Attend an act of worship
Meet with headteacher
Begin session observations following the mid-morning break

13. Feedback Headteacher and subject leader on a daily basis to:
Agree new arrangements
Clarify inspection issues
Obtain further information
Discuss matters of concern
Discuss emerging findings

14. Feedback (continued) Session observations End of inspection
Brief feedback at the end of the session
Fuller feedback if needed can be arranged
End of inspection
Confidential oral feedback that conveys the main judgements and the reasons for them
Inspectors do not return to the school at a later date

15. Timetabling Estyn do not issue a timetable for session observations
The Section 5o team agree a timetable with the headteacher and share this with Estyn
Estyn inspectors observe sessions for a minimum of 30 minutes
Section 50 inspectors observe sessions for the period of the session

16. Questionnaires and meetings
Parents are issued a questionnaire
See Framework: available in English, Welsh, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese and Tagalog
No parent or governor meeting prior to the week of the inspection
The section 50 team join Estyn for the parents’ meeting on the Monday evening
The section 50 team will arrange to meet the Chair of Governors, the RE link governor, any other governors, particularly foundation governors, the school chaplain/chaplaincy team, and local clergy at a mutually convenient time during the week of the inspection.

17. Listening to learners Estyn are introducing pupil questionnaires
The section 50 inspectors are not using pupil questionnaires
‘Learner voice’ is a key source of evidence of achievement, attitudes and well-being found through:
Meeting pupils in class and around the school
Meeting with particular groups (this may vary depending on the line of enquiry)
The school’s own ‘learner voices’ and surveys of pupils and parents

18. Acts of worship
Because of the short notice and to ensure parity for schools, section 50 inspectors will only participate in the daily act of worship, and other opportunities for formal and informal prayer and reflection, during the week of the inspection.

19. Follow up activity
Estyn will consider whether the school needs any follow-up activity
Good practice case study
Local authority monitoring
Estyn monitoring visit
Significant improvement
Special measures

20. Section 50 Follow up activity
Good practice shared with the Catholic family of schools through the website, cluster meetings, on-site visits, published papers, training days, etc
Those identified as needing support:
The reporting inspector informs the headteacher and Director of Religious Education of the required areas for improvement
The Director of Religious Education will plan a programme of appropriate support with the school
‘Significant area for improvement’: a formal review of progress will be undertaken by the Director of Religious Education or representative approximately a year later.

21. Meeting statutory requirements
How requirements are met
Should be evaluated through the school’s own self-evaluation reviews
If statutory requirements are not met, this will be reported in the text and may result in a judgement no higher than adequate for the relevant quality indicator
Details of relevant regulations and guidance are in Annex 3 of Estyn’s ‘Guidance for Inspection’.

22. Meeting statutory requirements: section 48/50
Collective Worship (schools’ standards Framework, 1998, Section 70) Circular 10/2004: ‘Religious Worship and Collective Worship’
Sex Education: Section 352 (1) (c) of the 1996 Education Act. Primary schools are not required but can decide whether to include sex education in the school’s curriculum and keep a written record.

23. Other points of information
If the inspection is to take place early in the school year, the inspectorate may ask for samples of pupils’ work from the previous year.
The task of the inspector is to sample, test and validate the evaluations made by the school. They decide what evidence needs to be reviewed.

24. The Framework Questions, quality indicators and aspects
Description of judgements
Sector leading practice (Estyn)
Exemplification paragraphs for good and unsatisfactory

25. The Framework (continued)
The procedure
Required documentation
Code of Canon Law
Education Regulations
Bishops’ Statement on religious education
Parent questionnaires
Post-inspection questionnaire
Welsh Assembly Grant

26. Self-review Report and Guidance (1)
Greater emphasis – the starting point for inspection
Needs to be embedded
Not a one-off event
Within a few days of being notified of inspection, schools must their current self-evaluation report to the reporting inspector, together with their SIP/SDP, etc (see appendix 3)

27. Self-review Report and Guidance (2)
The registered inspector will highlight the initial lines of enquiry on the SER: the PIC (pre-inspection commentary) and it back to the school by midday of the Friday prior to the first day of the inspection
These initial lines of enquiry may change during the period of the inspection.

28. Self-review Report and Guidance (3)
The inspector will assess whether:
The process is a regular part of the school’s working life
The process is robust
All aspects of the Catholic life of the school and curriculum religious education are being reviewed and how these impact on pupils and their achievement
It is an accurate assessment of strengths and weaknesses
The information is used to set priorities and appropriately challenging targets for improvement

29. Self-review Report and Guidance (4)
The paramount guidance for the way in which this is written is to always remember that the key measure of the quality of provision is the impact on pupils
Ask 3 questions as you address each quality indicator:
How well are we doing?
How do we know?
What needs to be improved?

30. Self-review Report and Guidance (5)
No need to provide an overall final grade/judgement for each key question
Evaluation should clearly indicate strengths, anything considered innovative with evidence of its impact and dissemination and areas for improvement/development
It is possible to reduce paper by creating a virtual self-evaluation and inspection ‘room’ (folders) with hyperlinks to evidence
From October 2011, all schools to their annual, current SER to the DRE.

31. The School Information Form
Areas for Governors to consider

32. Refreshments and collation of questions
Discussion Groups
Refreshments and collation of questions
Q & A session

33. Inspectors share their experiences of inspection
Mrs Margaret White (Primary)
Mrs Patricia Landers (Secondary)

34. Closing Prayer and blessing
May He support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.
Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and peace at the last.
(Cardinal John Henry Newman)