SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Teacher quality
1. We welcome the positive tone of
the 1998-99 Annual Report (paragraph 5).
Class sizes
2. OFSTED had not carried out an empirical study into
the extent to which the investment in reducing Key Stage 1 class
sizes represents value for money. We expect that OFSTED will
consider carrying out such a study in due course (paragraph
7).
Supply teachers
3. The quality of supply teachers is a matter of serious
concern. We recommend that OFSTED should bring forward proposals
for monitoring the quality and classroom readiness of supply teachers,
in order to identify areas where improvement is needed. The next
step would be to put in place a strategy to help supply teachers
with weaknesses to improve their performance (paragraph 8).
Pupil and staff mobility
4. We recommend that OFSTED should study ways in which
the impact of staff mobility on pupil attainment may be monitored
and evaluated (paragraph 9).
English and Information Technology
5. We feel strongly that teachers in all subjects should
be given every assistance to improve their information and communications
technology skills, and that this assistance should be made equally
available for part-time teachers as for full-time teachers
(paragraph 11).
Funding
6. We urge the Government to develop urgently a sound alternative
to the current formula based funding mechanism (paragraph
15).
Bullying
7. We are concerned at the relatively low priority given
in the HMCI's Annual Report to the issue of bullying, and we recommend
that a detailed study of the impact of bullying on pupil attainment
should be included in the next Annual Report (paragraph 19).
Swimming
8. We look forward to seeing the improved collection of
data on pupil attainment in swimming, which we consider to be
a key life skill (paragraph 20).
Evidence base
9. We re-iterate the firmly held view, expressed in our
Report last year on the Work of OFSTED, that it is of the highest
importance that HM Chief Inspector's advice to Ministers, and
his Commentary on education in print, in public lectures and elsewhere,
can be backed up the inspection evidence gathered by OFSTED (paragraph
21).
10. In our view, it is essential for the improvement of educational
standards that the supporting evidence for statements made in
the HMCI's Annual Report should be clearly identified. (paragraph
21).
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