David Taylor Formerly Director of Inspection, Ofsted Quality Assurance through School Self-Evaluation: the role of External Review and Inspection David Taylor Formerly Director of Inspection, Ofsted

Structure of presentation Quality Assurance and Self-Evaluation Working with schools on self-evaluation

Quality Assurance (QA) and School Self-Evaluation (SSE) Assurance and control The place of SSE in a QA system

What is school self-evaluation? Self-evaluation is the process by which a school is able to look critically at itself in order to improve further the quality of its provision and its performance.

SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION: the 3-step process What are we going to do next? How do we know? How good is our school? Through self-evaluation, a school is asking questions of itself which probe thoroughly all aspects of quality.

Promoting School Improvement (1) Self-evaluation aims to promote school improvement by seeking: To inform improvement planning all staff are, or should be, involved in improvement planning improvement planning must have standards of achievement, quality of teaching and quality of learning as high priorities; monitoring and evaluation are indispensable parts of the improvement planning cycle; schools need to integrate a programme of self-evaluation into their improvement planning.

Promoting School Improvement (2) Self-evaluation aims to promote school improvement by seeking: - To promote effective learning and raise standards all pupils are learners and should take part in self-evaluation; good teachers are good learners; they continually ask questions of their own practice to improve provision; different people learn best in different ways; teachers need to know how their pupils learn best; school managers need to know what makes members of staff effective learners and therefore effective professionals; parents/carers and governors have a key role in supporting learning

Promoting School Improvement (3) Self-evaluation aims to promote school improvement by seeking: - To encourage a climate of professional trust self-evaluation is most effective when the process is transparent; everyone is part of the self-evaluation process; no-one hides behind status; positive outcomes for teachers and pupils are evident and people have faith in the process; good practice is celebrated in more than one way.

The Improvement Cycle

Improving schools’ self-evaluation Improved training in leadership and management More available data Growing use of external performance indicators Effective use of classroom observation Understanding how to carry out self-evaluation

Involving all staff in planning and self-evaluation Staff should: Understand the planning and evaluation process Have ownership of it Focus on pupils’ attainments and experiences Engage in appropriate professional development Review their approaches to teaching and learning 

Internal and external: complementary roles SSE: event or process? Which comes first? Frameworks and criteria Training and development

Working with schools on self-evaluation Preparing for self-evaluation Data collection and data analysis Understanding how to evaluate Collecting evidence Securing trust Self-evaluation and staff appraisal

Six ‘acid tests’ for effective SSE Is the SSE based on a good range of convincing evidence? Does the SSE identify the most important questions about how well the school serves its pupils? How well does the school compare with similar schools and use such comparative data? Does the SSE include the views of key groups, especially parents, pupils and wider community? Is SSE integrally linked to key management systems? Does SSE lead to action to achieve he school’s longer-term improvement goals?

A focus on learning outcomes (1) Taking responsibility for learning Good features: Learners Know their most effective ways of learning Can apply themselves to learning effectively Sustain concentration Appreciate what they need to do to make progress

A focus on learning outcomes (2) Learners Plan sensibly how they will achieve their learning goals Seek appropriate help in working towards their goals Show initiative and take responsibility Work well without supervision Review their progress and adjust their learning as necessary

A focus on learning outcomes (3) Taking responsibility for learning Shortcomings: Learners: Have limited awareness of how they learn best Plan inadequately to address deficiencies Rely too much on others for assurance and support Are easily distracted

A focus on learning outcomes (4) Learners: Do not work well without direct supervision Are too compliant and passive Work too slowly Seek the direction of the teacher too readily Are uncertain about their own progress.

A focus on effective leadership action (1) Leadership has consistently been shown as the key factor in determining the success of a school. Leaders who seek to transform their schools tend to: Have self-knowledge and clarity about values and commitment Focus on developing people, and empowering them to bring about a shared vision which produces good learning outcomes for pupils Be found operating at all levels in the school, not just the senior management team

A focus on effective leadership action (2) Leaders who seek to transform their schools tend to: Encourage, manage and sustain school improvement Manage the organisation well, respond to change effectively and welcome greater school autonomy and innovation Ensure that there is an unvarying focus on improving teaching and learning

A focus on effective leadership action (3): Take early, firm intervention to secure effective leadership and management Establish and implement systems to identify key priorities for improvement through effective data management, ie: Gathering, analysing and presenting data on pupils’ achievement Using the data to identify good practice Surveying the opinions of staff and students Gaining the commitment of staff

A focus on effective leadership action (4): Focus on dealing with issues in a staged manner, with measures to ensure early success, eg: Developing pride and self-esteem Targeting specific under-performance, while developing long-term improvement strategies Improving attendance, punctuality, uniform-wearing

A focus on effective leadership action (5): Focus on teaching and learning: Establishing a set of core behaviours Re-skilling teachers in their repertoire of teaching methods Implementing a firm and consistent policy on behaviour (around the site as well as in classrooms) Supporting and building on models of excellent teaching Establishing collaborative working as a way of improving teachers’ practice

A focus on effective leadership action (6) Introduce models of leadership and teaching quality: Building effective leadership teams throughout the school Bringing in new staff with developing teaching skills (eg Advanced skills teachers) Coaching staff to develop their teaching skills

1. Characteristics of the School Context of school and learners School aims

2. Views of Learners, Parents/Carers and other Stakeholders How are views gathered? What do they say about provision? How are findings shared? What action is taken?

3. Achievement and Standards What are the standards achieved? Are there significant trends? Are there any underachieving groups? How do you know? What action do you intend to take?

4. Personal development and well-being (‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes) Learners should : Be healthy Be safe Enjoy their learning and achieve Make a positive contribution to the community Be prepared for the future and for their economic well-being

5. Quality of provision How effective are teaching and learning? Do the curriculum and other activities meet the needs and interests of learners? How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

Example: Teaching and Learning

6. Leadership and Management How effectively do leaders and managers set a clear direction? How effective is performance monitoring? How well are equal opportunities and inclusion promoted? What is the adequacy of staffing, resources and accommodation? How effective are links with other providers and agencies? How effective are Governors?

7. Overall effectiveness and efficiency The extent of improvement since the previous inspection? Is there sufficient capacity for further improvement? What steps are being taken to improve provision?

Some key questions for discussion Suppose you were a person such as a ‘school improvement partner’, how would you set about working with a school on SSE? How does a school inspection/review gain evidence of the effectiveness of SSE? What should happen if the inspection/review disagrees strongly with the results of the SSE? How far should SSE go in incorporating the views of students, parents and the wider community? How should schools develop the skills of evaluating lessons and outcomes for students?

Some conclusions Inspection/review and SSE should complement each other and dovetail closely, using related: Frameworks Criteria Data sources Effective SSE has clear goals, clear evaluation of teaching and learning and of leadership and management The whole school community should be involved in SSE Inspection has much to offer in developing and improving the quality of SSE.