Exam results and grades will no longer be the key focus of Ofsted inspections in England, under new plans.
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman says the focus on performance data has narrowed what is taught in schools. In a speech in Newcastle last Thursday she said inspections had placed too much weight on exam results. Teachers and heads have long argued education watchdog Ofsted's focus on data, along with school league tables, has made schools "exam factories".
Chris Keates, leader of the Nasuwt teachers' union, said teachers would welcome plans to "shift the focus of inspection and treat teachers as experts, rather than data managers".
But the National Association of Head Teachers warned against changes being "rushed through" without adequate consultation with school leaders. The proposals are likely to make it easier for inspectors to recognise the good work done by schools in challenging circumstances. In her speech she acknowledged that the current inspection model had led to "excessive workload" in some schools.
The biggest planned change to the inspection framework is that the section based on "pupil outcomes" (exam results) is likely to be replaced with a new judgement for "quality of education".
But there are also changes planned for the other categories.
The new planned
judgement headings are:
l personal development
l behaviour and attitudes
l schools' leadership and management.
The four categories currently used for Ofsted inspections are:
l effectiveness of leadership and management
l quality of teaching, learning and assessment
l personal development, behaviour and welfare
l outcomes for children and learners.
Ofsted will launch a consultation on the new set of inspection categories in a new framework in January, in the hope of starting to use them at the start of the school year in September 2019.
