The White Paper ‘The Importance of teaching’ and the Education Bill 2011 both announce proposed changes to school inspection. The consultation on these changes has just been launched (21^st March) and is to run for eight weeks. To follow on from this there will be meetings with key stakeholders and pilot inspections in May and June. The results of these consultations will be published in July and a new draft framework and evaluation schedule will be available by the end of September. Training for inspectors will follow in the autumn ready for implementation in January 2012. 

So, the timeline looks something like this:

From this you can see that you should plan to work to the old evaluation schedule until January 2012. 

However, your SEF is a different matter. Ofsted are discontinuing the self-evaluation form website from 22^nd July 2011. From 22^nd July you will no longer be able to access your school information and self-evaluation form. However, self-evaluation will remain a major part of your work and you will still need to present inspectors with self-evaluation information but in a format of your choice. You would certainly be advised to save and print your SEF as a PDF and use it as a basis for continued self-evaluation.  

Preparing according to the current framework

Firstly make sure that you and your staff are aware of the main Ofsted documents:

• The evaluation schedule for schools

• The framework for school inspection 

• Conducting school inspections

You can get the most up-to-date versions (they are updated termly) from the Ofsted site. You need to make sure that you are familiar and that your staff are familiar with what to expect from the inspection framework. What will inspectors be doing when they arrive, what are they looking for? Some teaching times resources might help you prepare yourself and your staff. 

It is beneficial for you to work through the document linked below ‘Preparing for Ofsted – Pre-inspection check’. This includes a list of how you might prepare for an imminent visit including, the documents you should have ready, the evidence you should have prepared to demonstrate the quality of teaching and learning, the views of your stakeholders and evidence against the main inspection judgements. 

Until the end of this academic year and into the beginning of autumn 2011 you might expect to use your current SEF. However, as you decide to update it you may want to change its emphasis, particularly in the light of alterations to the evaluation schedule. The document linked below ‘adapting the SEF’ provides some suggestions to help you do this. 

During your preparation, remember that:

• Inspectors are spending a lot more time on observations (and you can join in with these too)

• Attainment is a priority – have your evidence ready if there are any ‘blips’ in your copy book

• You should have some case studies of vulnerable pupils available for the inspectors

• Safeguarding remains a high priority – make sure your paper work is in order 

• It’s outcomes that matter – make sure you have evidence of what is working and how you know it is – particularly in relation to intervention programmes and the way you are using support 

The new inspection 

Details are still vague but we do have some indications of what we might expect from the new inspection framework from the Education Bill. It is likely that inspections will not take place for outstanding schools where the leadership has not changed. However, schools can request an inspection if they wish but will need to pay for it. This might be the case, for example, where a school has been judged as good and want to upgrade to access certain benefits or freedoms. 

During inspections, inspectors will inspect:

• The achievement of pupils at the school

• The quality of teaching at the school

• The quality of leadership and management of the school 

• The behaviour and safety of pupils at the school 

Inspectors will also need to consider:

• The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school

• The extent to which the education provided meets the needs of a range of pupils, particularly those with a disability and those with SEN 

There will need to be consideration of the school’s provision for different groups including:

• Minority ethnic groups

• Those eligible for FSM and the Pupil Premium

• Looked-after children

• Gifted and talented pupils 

Ofsted’s newsletters provide you with the most up-to-date information – the same guidance as inspectors are receiving.