1. AOSEC Teaching & Learning Fair
Ofsted: findings, facts and fiction
Paul Joyce HMI
Deputy Director
Further Education & Skills
15 June 2016

2. Aims Findings: inspection results so far.
Facts: what are inspectors looking for from a teacher’s perspective?
Fictions: myths about Ofsted.

3. Full inspections: a brief reminder
Four key judgements:
leadership and management
teaching, learning and assessment
personal development, behaviour and welfare
outcomes for learners.
Under leadership and management, separate sections on:
governance
safeguarding.
Separate grades for provision types: study programmes; apprenticeships; adult learning; high-needs learners; traineeships; full-time provision.
Grade 1 and 2 colleges may have a full inspection as a result of Ofsted’s risk assessment.

4. Short inspections: a brief reminder
A different kind of inspection.
All short inspections are led by HMI – usually two days on site.
Strong focus on dialogue with leaders / governors / managers.
Two judgements: a) is the provider continuing to be good; b) is safeguarding effective?
If there is evidence of improvement/decline or more evidence is needed to reach a decision, it will be converted to a full inspection.
A short inspection will not change any of the graded judgements nor the overall effectiveness grade.
Good providers will receive short inspections approximately every three years (subject to risk assessment).

5. Findings: Overall effectiveness for GFE colleges, full and short inspections In-year inspection outcomes: 1 September 2015 – 30 April 2016

6. Overall effectiveness for GFE colleges, full inspections only In-year inspection outcomes: 1 September 2015 – 30 April 2016

7. Declined to requires improvement (2)
Short inspections, all colleges In-year inspection outcomes: 1 September 2015 – 30 April 2016
Short inspections (21)
Converted (3)
Declined to requires improvement (2)
Did not convert (18)
Remained good (19)

8. Overall effectiveness for sixth form colleges, full and short inspections In-year inspection outcomes: 1 September 2015 – 30 April 2016

9. Provision judgements for all colleges, full inspections only In-year inspection outcomes: 1 September 2015 – 30 April 2016

10. Facts: what are inspectors looking for from a teacher’s perspective?
Do teachers have high expectations – are they really ambitious for their students, and do leaders inspire teachers and students to give of their best?
Are lessons hard enough? Are students, and apprentices, being stretched to achieve their full potential both in and out of lessons?
How are teachers helping students to improve their English and mathematics, and how successful is this?
Are teachers creative and innovative? (Don’t play safe because you think inspectors would approve).

11. Facts: what are inspectors looking for from a teacher’s perspective?
Are teachers adept at supporting all students, but particularly the most vulnerable, to achieve?
Do teachers evaluate their own work – are they self- reflective practitioners, both in respect of individual lessons and over time?
Do teachers ensure that all students are included and encouraged to participate?
Do teachers set targets for students, assess and monitor their progress carefully, and help them to know exactly what they need to do to improve?

12. Facts: what are inspectors looking for from a teacher’s perspective?
Are teachers helping students to prepare for work through, for example, encouraging punctuality and developing their independent thinking skills? In vocational areas, do teachers and curriculum leaders liaise with employers to design the curriculum and make it relevant to work?
Are teachers contributing to the Prevent duty – do they have the knowledge and confidence to discuss sensitive topics, and do they take advantage of what’s going on in the world to inform their lessons where appropriate?

13. Fiction: myths about Ofsted
True or false?
Inspectors expect teachers to use a variety of teaching styles to ensure that students maintain their interest.
False – inspectors must not prescribe any particular style; different things work for different teachers; inspectors are only interested in how much progress each student makes.
Inspectors will want to see lesson plans.
False – inspectors are curious about how well lessons are planned, but are not particularly interested in the specific form of that planning. Inspectors evaluate the impact of planning, not the paperwork.

14. Fiction: myths about Ofsted
Inspectors expect equality and diversity to be promoted in every lesson.
False – inspectors want evidence that during their time at college students/apprentices benefit from equality of opportunity, and that they learn about the complex multicultural world they will live and work in. It is not expected that these will be explicit features of every lesson.
Many inspectors have never taught, so don’t know what they’re on about.
False – HMI have had teaching careers, and most Ofsted inspectors are current practitioners – some of you may be in the audience.

15. Fiction: myths about Ofsted
Inspectors will expect work and tasks in all lessons to be differentiated to meet each student’s individual abilities.
False – this is unrealistic. Inspectors do expect, however, that over the period of their courses teachers make sure that every student/apprentice has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their starting points or abilities.
Inspectors expect to see ILT being used in every lesson.
False – inspectors, like teachers, see the potential in the creative use of ILT, but at the same time see no particular benefit from the use of ILT as an end in itself.

16. Fiction: myths about Ofsted
Ofsted expects all teachers to be observed and graded by their colleges, to inform self-assessment and staff training.
False – it is entirely a matter for college leaders what mechanisms they use to improve the quality of teaching.
Colleges that prepare best for inspection are those that do best: you and your leaders should be ‘Ofsted-ready’ at all times, and when you get ‘the call’ your inspection action plan should spring into action.
False – colleges that do best at inspection are those where students achieve well and make great progress, teachers enjoy their teaching and students enjoy their learning. It’s more about culture than about Ofsted preparation.

17. Thank you