Your role in preparing for inspection
Sandra Parker, LA Performance Adviser
Sandra Shepherd, LA Education Lead
Ofsted
Varied roles of school business
managers and administrators
Some aspects of inspection that
may involve you • Safeguarding
• Single Central Record (SCR) and personnel files
• Pupil Premium funding
• PE and Sports Premium funding
• SEN funding
• Y7 Literacy and Numeracy Catch Up Premium funding
• School website
• Attendance
• Governance
Key points about your evidence
Remember that inspectors want to
• Check the culture of safeguarding in the school
Probing how robust and thorough processes are helps to establish this
• Triangulate evidence
Can what you say be verified in documentary evidence?
Does what you say verify what others have said
Different types of inspection
• Section 5 (full two-day inspections) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-
handbook-from-september-2015
• Section 8 (short one-day inspections)
Normally for inspection of ‘Good’ schools
Does the school remain good? Is safeguarding effective? https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-short-
monitoring-and-unannounced-behaviour-school-inspections
Safeguarding
Single Central Record (SCR)
Inspectors will request that the following information is available at the
start of the inspection:
the single central record of the checks and vetting of all staff working
with pupils
School Inspection Handbook p20
Inspecting safeguarding
A separate document sets out the approach inspectors should take to
inspecting safeguarding:
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills
settings’, August 2016
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-safeguarding-in-early-years-education-and-skills-from-september-2015
Inspecting arrangements for staff
recruitment and vetting • Inspectors should check the single central record early in inspections of
schools or colleges in the expectation that it will be complete and meet statutory requirements. During early years inspections, inspectors will check that the provider is able to produce evidence of suitability of relevant staff and adults.
• Inspectors should also check the setting’s policy and procedures for ensuring that visitors to the school are suitable and checked and monitored as appropriate, for example external speakers at school assemblies.
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ section 5.4
Where an early years setting, school or college has recruited
volunteers who are not checked, inspectors should explore with senior
leaders and governors how the registered provider or school has
reached this decision – for example how it has assessed the level of
supervision provided.
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ section 5.4
Volunteers
Trainee teachers
In the case of trainee teachers and students on placement, if they are employed by the setting, school or college, then they should be subject to the same checks under regulations as other members of staff. If trainee teachers are fee-funded, the school or setting should obtain written confirmation from the training provider that these checks have been carried out and that the trainee has been judged by the provider to be suitable to work with children. There is no requirement for a school to record details of fee-funded trainees on the single central record.
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ section 5.4
If there is a minor administrative error on a single central record, such
as the absence of a date on the record, and this can be easily rectified
before the final team meeting, the school or college will be given the
chance to resolve the issue. Registered early years providers are
expected to make all records available at inspection. If evidence of
suitability is not kept on-site, inspectors can accept this evidence later
during the inspection as long as it is provided before final feedback is
given.
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ section 5.4
Administrative errors
Administrative errors may be defined as follows:
• failure to record 1 or 2 dates
• individual entries that are illegible
• 1 or 2 omissions where it is clear that the information is already held by the school or college, but they have failed to transfer over the information in full to the single central record
‘Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills settings’ section 5.4
Definition of administrative errors
Personnel files • Inspectors may ask to see the personnel files of one or two
members of staff
• They may want to see
• ID checks have been done
• References were checked
• What questions were asked at interview
• The offer letter
• Match to SCR
Ofsted’s myth busting
Safeguarding
• There is no expectation or statutory requirement for the routine checking of personnel files by inspectors. Inspectors may look at a small sample of personnel records. Ofsted does not have expectations about the format in which staff records are maintained.
• Ofsted does not expect schools to retrospectively apply for references for staff appointed prior to and continuously employed since the introduction of the vetting and barring requirements.
School Inspection Handbook p15
Health and safety
• This is part of safeguarding
• You may have a specific H&S role as SBM or as a first-aider
• But office staff are also likely to need to know specifically about
pupils with medical needs
Ofsted’s myth busting
• Ofsted does not expect schools to take any specific set of steps
about site security. Schools should assess the risks posed within
their own context and take appropriate and proportionate steps to
keep children safe. In particular, inspectors do not have a pre-
determined view on the need for perimeter fences. They will
consider each school’s site security on its own merits.
School Inspection Handbook p16
Keep up to date
• Attend GSCB SCR Drop-In Sessions
• GSCB One Minute Guide: OMG 2 – Single Central Record https://www.gscb.org.uk/i-work-with-children-young-people-and-parents/safeguarding-in-education/
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) (Part 1 read by all staff; see Part 3 for Safer Recruitment, including pre-appointment checks; p40-42 for SCR) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
• Inspectors may ask about governors’ or other leaders’ checks of SCR Who does this? How often? Can you/they evidence this? Impact of others’ checks – any follow-up actions?
• In a MAT, ensure that there is clarity around SCR responsibilities and what personnel files are held where
• Day before inspection, check through the SCR to remind yourself of any gaps and the reasons for these (e.g. awaiting staff member bringing in documentation). Can you evidence this?
• Inspectors may ask you more broadly about safeguarding children (as they would any member of staff), what you would do if you had any concerns and what kind of things would concern you
Other tips
Finances
Effectiveness of leadership and
management
Inspectors will consider whether governors:
• ensure that the school’s finances are properly managed and
can evaluate how the school is using the pupil premium, Year
7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium, primary PE and
sport premium, and special educational needs funding
School Inspection Handbook p45
Inspectors will gather evidence about the use of the pupil premium in relation to the following key issues:
• the level of pupil premium funding received by the school in the current academic year and levels of funding received in previous academic years
• how leaders and governors have spent the pupil premium, their rationale for this spending and its intended impact
• any differences made to the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils as shown by outcomes data and inspection evidence.
School Inspection Handbook p45-46
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings
Use of the Pupil Premium
In making judgements in schools, inspectors will consider:
• how effectively leaders use the primary PE and sport premium and
measure its impact on outcomes for pupils, and how effectively
governors hold them to account for this
School Inspection Handbook p42
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools
PE and Sports Premium Funding
In evaluating progress in literacy and mathematics, inspectors will take into account the progress of those for whom the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium provides support.
School Inspection Handbook p60
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/year-7-literacy-and-numeracy-catch-up-premium-
guide-for-schools
Year 7 Literacy and Numeracy Catch
Up Premium
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 removing any differences 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.
School Inspection Handbook p61
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schoolsnet/your-pupils/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/sencospot/
Special Educational Needs
How else can you support?
• Work effectively with governors to keep them up to date about financial matters
• Meet with nominated governors
• Attend governor meetings when requested, especially finance committee
• Become a staff governor or associate member
• Day before inspection, reminding key leaders about the amount of funding they get for these initiatives may be helpful
Website
Inspectors’ planning and preparation The planning will be informed by analysis of information on the school’s website (taking into account current government requirements for maintained schools and academy funding agreements and non-statutory guidance) including
• its pupil premium strategy (including rationale and evaluation)
• in primary schools the PE and sport premium
• in secondary schools the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium
• the statutory sharing with parents of curriculum information (so the lead inspector can start to assess the breadth and balance of the school’s curriculum and whether it is likely to promote preparation for and an appreciation of life in modern Britain)
• the special educational needs (SEN) report
• the presence and suitability of the safeguarding guidance
• information about the promotion of equality of opportunity and other information for parents
School Inspection Handbook p17
Website Information
• Guidance for schools about information required on a maintained
school’s website is available at:
www.gov.uk/guidance/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online
• Non-statutory guidance for academies and free schools about
information on their websites is available at:
www.gov.uk/guidance/what-academies-free-schools-and-colleges-
should-publish-online
Being prepared
• Always ensure the website is up to date, as inspectors will have
looked at this before the inspection
• Have a process for checking that the website meets requirements
• Who?
• How frequently?
• Evidence that checks have taken place
• Follow-up any omissions/updates
Attendance
Attendance information
Inspectors will request that the following information is available at the
start of the inspection:
• up-to-date attendance analysis for all groups of pupils
School Inspection Handbook p20
As part of the judgement for Personal Development, Behaviour and
Welfare, inspectors will consider:
• overall absence and persistent absence rates for all pupils, and
for different groups in relation to national figures for all pupils
• the extent to which low attenders are improving their attendance
over time and whether attendance is consistently low (in the lowest
10%)
• punctuality in arriving at school and at lessons School Inspection Handbook p55
Attendance and punctuality
Attendance data
• Absence overall
• Persistent absence
• Key groups to include:
• FSM/non-FSM
• Boys/girls
• SEN EHCP/SEN support/Non-SEN
• English as additional language (EAL)/English first language (if relevant)
• Compare all these to national
• Any patterns in attendance or punctuality data?
What else you can do • Remember the link between attendance issues and safeguarding – e.g.
processes to follow up absenteeism
• Know the reasons why some individual pupils – e.g. SEN – may have lower attendance rates
• Be prepared to talk about patterns in the data and what you do when attendance for an individual is low. How far will you go to ensure pupils attend school?
• Identify examples of pupils whose attendance has improved as a result of actions taken
• Keep on top of statutory processes – e.g. keeping LA informed of 10 day absences and any part-time timetables
Keeping up to date
• Guidance on GCC website, includes link to DfE guidance
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schoolsnet/your-
pupils/attendance/
• Gloucestershire Attendance Network Meetings (primary or
secondary)
Future changes to inspection
Consultation on changes to inspection from September 2019
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-launches-a-consultation-
on-proposals-for-changes-to-the-education-inspection-framework
Consultation closes on 5th April
Off-rolling
The proposed new inspection framework refers to ‘off-rolling’ which
Ofsted defines as:
‘The practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without a
formal, permanent exclusion or by encouraging a parent to remove
their child from the school roll, when the removal is primarily in the
interests of the school rather than in the best interests of the pupil.
Off-rolling in these circumstances is a form of ‘gaming’.’
From the Draft School Inspection Handbook 2019, p66
Off-rolling
• The proposed new handbook suggests a heightened focus on off-rolling ‘If inspectors determine the school to be off-rolling according to Ofsted’s definition, then the leadership and management of the school are likely to be judged to be inadequate.’
From the Draft School Inspection Handbook 2019, p66
• Patterns in attendance figures may initiate a closer look at whether off-rolling is taking place
• Be clear about what codes to use and know why pupils have been removed from roll
Any questions?