1. How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools
Lesley Cox
National Lead for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Ofsted
National Association of Headteachers conference
10 March 2017
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

2. Raising standards, improving lives
Inspection is primarily about evaluating how well individual pupils benefit from their school. Inspectors will test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

3. Raising standards, improving lives
Inspectors must take account of the learning and progress across different groups of pupils currently on the roll of the school.
This includes pupils who have disabilities, those who have special educational needs (SEN), those for whom the pupil premium provides support and the most able.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

4. Safeguarding
Inspectors will check the quality of safeguarding systems at every inspection.
Schools must take account of the latest statutory guidance issued. This includes making appropriate checks on all staff and providing regular training.
All schools may be inspected at any time if there is a concern that children are not safe.
Inspectors will gather the opinions of pupils, parents and staff concerning safety and any serious issues will be followed up.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

5. Leadership and management
Pursuit of excellence – uncompromising and highly successful drive towards the highest levels of achievement.
Relentless drive to improve teaching – rigorous performance management.
Close tracking and rigorous monitoring of progress with interventions quickly put in place.
Any differences across levels of need, groups and subjects are effectively challenged.
Any dip in progress, when teaching is known to be meeting needs and of a good quality, quickly triggers further effective assessment, including involving parents and carers.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

6. Leadership and management
Curriculum – promotes positive attitudes towards learning and contributes very positively to outcomes, physical well-being, and mental health. It reinforces British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
English and mathematics – cross-curricular links.
All groups, classes and subjects.
A thorough evaluation of the impact of additional provision, including additional staff, in helping to improve outcomes.
Making adjustments to provision based on an accurate analysis of needs.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

7. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make the best progress when:
there were high aspirations for the achievement of all pupils
teaching and learning for all pupils were good or better
provision was based on careful analysis of need, close monitoring of each individual’s progress and a shared perception of desired outcomes
regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the provision at all levels took place
swift changes were made to the provision as a result of evaluating outcomes and well-being.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

8. Leadership and management
Will evaluate how effectively the local area are working together.
Will focus on effective identification and how well needs are being met.
Will involve visits to schools to talk to leaders, parents and pupils.
Will review the school information report and files of pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) or identified as having special educational needs support.
Inspections started in May 2016.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

9. Outstanding leadership and management
Leaders and governors focus on consistently improving outcomes for all pupils, but especially for disadvantaged pupils. They are uncompromising in their ambition
Governors systematically challenge senior leaders so that the effective deployment of staff and resources, including the pupil premium and SEN funding, secures excellent outcomes for pupils. Governors do not shy away from challenging leaders about variations in outcomes for pupil groups, especially between disadvantaged and other pupils.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

10. Teaching, learning and assessment
Inspectors must not expect teaching staff to teach in any specific way or follow a prescribed methodology.
Inspectors must evaluate the use of and contribution made by teaching assistants. They should consider whether teaching assistants are clear about their role and knowledgeable about the pupils they support. They should also consider how well the school ensures that teaching assistants have enough knowledge of the subjects in which they provide support.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

11. Teaching, learning and assessment
Teachers and other staff have consistently high expectations of what each pupil can achieve.
Assessment information is used to plan appropriate teaching and learning strategies, including to identify pupils who are falling behind in their learning or who need additional support.
Equality of opportunity and recognition of diversity are promoted through teaching and learning.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

12. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of communication, literacy and mathematical skills.
Systematic, effective, ongoing assessment that informs teaching and improves learning.
Teachers know their pupils and the implications of any special needs.
Effective feedback deepens learning and identifies the next steps for pupils to take.
Any additional support improves learning and promotes independence.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

13. Teaching, learning and assessment
In evaluating the accuracy and impact of assessment, inspectors will consider how well:
teachers use any assessment for establishing pupils’ starting points, teacher assessment and testing to modify teaching so that pupils achieve their potential
assessment draws on a range of evidence of what pupils know, understand and can do across the curriculum
teachers make consistent judgements about pupils’ outcomes.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

14. Outstanding teaching, learning and assessment
Teachers identify pupils’ common misconceptions and act to ensure that they are corrected.
Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour highly effectively, with clear rules that are consistently enforced.
Teachers identify and support any pupil who is falling behind, and enable almost all to catch up.
Teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils’ attitudes to learning.
Pupils love the challenge of learning and are resilient to failure.
Parents are given guidance about how to support their child to improve.
Teachers are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around the school.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

15. Outcomes
Inspectors will consider the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in relation to the progress of all pupils nationally with similar starting points.
Inspectors will examine the impact of funded support for them on closing any gaps in progress and attainment.
The expectation is that the identification of special educational needs leads to additional or different arrangements being made and a consequent improvement in progress.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

16. Outcomes
For groups of pupils whose cognitive ability is such that their attainment is unlikely ever to rise above ‘low’, the judgement on outcomes will be based on an evaluation of the pupils’ learning and progress relative to their starting points at particular ages and any assessment measures the school holds.
Evaluations should not take account of their attainment compared with that of all other pupils.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

17. Outcomes
Schools may use a range of evaluation tools and evidence to judge whether pupils are making or exceeding the progress expected for their age and starting points.
Inspectors must assure themselves that the methods used are robust and that the school’s information is accurate and reliable.
Inspectors must consider the progress of pupils who attend off- site alternative provision for all or part of the week and the school’s own records of these pupils’ progress.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

18. Outcomes
When judging the quality of pupils’ outcomes, the following aspects are important:
preparation for the next stage(s) in education, training and employment, and adult life
identification of intended outcomes/targets involves the young person and parents/carers
having high expectations, using national comparator information where this is available
age and starting point of the young person
taking into account the young person’s special educational needs and/or disabilities.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

19. Outcomes: mainstream schools with specially resourced provision
Inspectors should not disaggregate pupils from the resourced provision when commenting on whether a school meets the floor standards. However, when using this information to contribute to the evaluation of outcomes, inspectors must look carefully at the proportion of pupils whose cognitive ability is such that their attainment is unlikely ever to rise above low in each cohort. This latter consideration does not necessarily include all children who have a statement/EHCP or all of those within resource bases.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

20. Outstanding outcomes
The progress across the curriculum of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities currently on roll, matches or is improving towards that of other pupils with the same starting points.
For pupils generally, and specifically for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs, progress is above average across nearly all subject areas.
Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

21. Personal development, behaviour and welfare
Inspectors will make these judgements using evidence seen during the inspection as well as evidence of trends over time.
The judgement for behaviour will be informed by documentary evidence, including how the school tackles poor behaviour, as well as discussions with and observations of pupils at break times, lunchtimes and between lessons.
Inspectors will assess the school’s use of exclusion, including the rates, patterns and reasons for exclusion, as well as any differences between groups of pupils.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

22. Personal development, behaviour and welfare
Inspectors will gather the views of parents, staff, governors and other stakeholders.
Inspectors must take account of the views different groups of pupils express, their experiences of others’ behaviour and attitudes towards them.
Inspectors evaluate the experience of particular individuals and groups, such as pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

23. Outstanding personal development, behaviour and welfare
Pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment and training.
Pupils value their education and rarely miss a day at school. No groups of pupils are disadvantaged by low attendance
For individuals or groups with particular needs, there is sustained improvement in pupils’ behaviour.
Staff and pupils deal effectively with the very rare instances of bullying behaviour and/or use of derogatory or aggressive language.
Pupils are safe and feel safe at all times.
Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and are confident in staying safe from abuse and exploitation.
Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe online.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

24. Overall effectiveness
Before making the final judgement on the overall effectiveness, inspectors must evaluate:
the effectiveness and impact of the provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development
the extent to which the education provided by the school meets the needs of the range of pupils at the school and in particular the needs of:
disabled pupils, for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010
pupils who have special educational needs.
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools

25. Ofsted on the web and on social media
How Ofsted evaluates special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools