4. Supplementary memorandum submitted
by Ofsted (DP45)
OFSTED REPORT
ON SPECIALIST
SCHOOLS, 2001
1. Specialist schools: an evaluation
of progress (October 2001) covered the 327 specialist schools
which had been operating on or before September 1998 (ie at least
two years before the inspection).
2. The main findings were:
— four out of five of the well-established
specialist schools covered were in large measure achieving the
aims of the specialist schools programme and making good use of
the advantages it brings. For these schools specialist status
had often been a catalyst for innovation and helped to sustain
or accelerate the momentum of school improvement. The fact that
this was not the case in one in five schools was a disappointing
use of opportunities and resources;
— the context of the schools visited
varied widely, as did their size and funding;
— very few of the schools had introduced
selection by aptitude. Almost all of the schools visited had seen
an increase in their Year 7 intake each year since designation
as a specialist school, but it was difficult to distinguish the
contribution of specialist status to their increased popularity.
The main reasons given for this were the schools' existing good
reputation, ethos and examination performance. A third of headteachers
saw specialist status as a significant factor. Factors such as
the positive image of the specialism, increased access to ICT
and greater curricular opportunities at Key Stage 4 and post-16
were included by parents and pupils in the reasons for their preference
for the school;
— the overall results achieved in the
GCSE in 2000 by the different types of specialist school varied.
More pupils in technology, language and arts colleges achieved
five or more GCSE A* to C and A* to G grades than in maintained
schools nationally; the performance of pupils in sports colleges
was below the national average in terms of A* to C grades and
in line with the average in terms of A* to G grades. The trend
of improvement in GCSE average points score in specialist schools
was slightly greater than the national rate;
— in GCSE examinations in the specialist
subjects in 2000 the combined average points score for each pupil
was higher in technology, language, arts and sports colleges than
the average for those subjects in all other maintained secondary
schools;
— in over four-fifths of schools visited,
there was clear evidence of a distinctive character based on the
specialism. In the remaining schools visited there was some lack
of commitment to the programme, and even some reluctance to be
closely identified with it. In these schools little attempt had
been made to promote a strong specialist character;
— the profile of teaching in the specialist
schools visited was much the same as the national. The percentage
of good or very good teaching observed was well above the national
average in language colleges at Key Stage 3;
— subject departments had developed
a range of strategies which were helping to raise standards of
attainment. Features of good practice included: effective use
of ICT; close attention to literacy skills; encouraging pupils
to take responsibility for their own work; the use of assessment,
monitoring and individual target-setting; and introducing pupils
to business practices and the work of professionals;
— in over half of the schools visited
extra time was provided to expand the range of options at Key
Stage 4. All schools had provided some enrichment activities to
broaden and deepen pupils' experiences beyond their normal studies.
Some schools had organised these activities more effectively than
others;
— most schools—some four fifths—had
used the capital and annual grants to good effect, and were providing
good value for money. Some schools had not clearly linked spending
to targets and had not fully capitalised on the opportunity to
attract or retain good staff. A minority of schools had not paid
sufficient attention to resources other than ICT;
— with some exceptions—notably
among the sports colleges—the community dimension was the
weakest element of specialist schools' work. Objectives were often
vague and support did not focus sharply enough on learning outcomes;
the resourcing and management of the activities were sometimes
inadequate;
— well over four-fifths of the schools
had generally effective structures and systems for managing the
programme and promoting innovation. There was much scope for improvement
in the contribution of heads of department to meeting the specialist
school targets. Weaknesses in management, at school and departmental
level, included ineffectual planning, insufficient focus on improving
the quality of teaching, tenuous links between funding and targets,
and poor monitoring.
3. The report made recommendations on: improving
management; giving closer attention to methods of teaching; exploring
how specialist subjects can contribute to higher attainment generally;
establishing a framework for enrichment activities; strengthening
partnerships with business and industry; ensuring that spending
plans cover equipment needs in addition to ICT and are matched
to targets; doing more to share good practice and ideas with other
schools; and developing effective links with the local community.
SPECIALIST SCHOOLS:
UPDATE
4. There are 992 specialist schools operating
in September 2002, including those approved in the four new specialisms:
| Technology | 443
|
| Arts | 173 |
| Sports | 161 |
| Languages | 157 |
| Science | 24 |
| Business and enterprise | 18
|
| Mathematics and computing | 12
|
| Engineering | 12 |
5. Over 300 schools are applying for the eight specialisms
in the current round. The number of designations depends on the
available resources, the number of applications received for each
category and how well they meet the criteria set by the DfES.
6. New elements of the application process are:
— applications should be part of a local strategic
plan to increase diversity and maximise impact, with schools needing
to consult LEAs, especially in relation to their contribution
to a broader strategy for supporting the wider community, and
LEAs being encouraged to have a strategic plan for specialist
schools in their area;
— schools are expected to show in their development
plans how industry and business will benefit, how they will address
underachievement and access, a commitment to inclusion and cross-cultural
provision, and involvement in initial teacher training in the
specialist subjects;
— applications can be "federated" (from
a number of schools) or "joint" (from two schools, for
example, 11-14 and 11-18, or a secondary and a special school);
and
— applications can be for combined specialisms.
RECENT INSPECTION
EVIDENCE
7. In recent Ofsted inspections of specialist schools:
— the proportion of teaching (percentage of lessons)
judged to be good or very good was better in technology colleges
and language colleges than in all non-specialist schools inspected,
while in arts and sports colleges it was about the same;
— the quality and range of learning opportunities
were generally greater than in non-specialist schools;
— the proportion of specialist schools identified
as having good or very good management was higher than in non-specialist
schools; and
— generally, specialist schools have shown greater
improvement since their last inspection than non-specialist schools,
but the lack of improvement or deterioration of some schools is
a cause for concern.
8. There are signs from Ofsted school inspections of
and HMI visits to specialist schools:
— more widespread and more pertinent use of target-setting;
— specialist subjects being used more widely to
improve whole school performance;
— the development of a more systematic approach
to school self-evaluation;
— more purposeful work on transition from primary
to secondary schools as part of the schools' community plans;
— effective use of the Key Stage 3 Strategy to support
the work of specialist subjects; and
— a growing number of schools starting GCSE courses
in Year 9, either to give more time for GCSE or for early entry
in Year 10.
SPECIALIST SCHOOLS
GCSE RESULTS 2002
9. An analysis of GCSE results in 2002 for 521 schools
that have had specialist status since September 2000 (ie have
been operating for at least two years) shows that:
— with the exception of sports colleges, the categories
of specialist schools achieved higher GCSE average points scores
than schools nationally;
— language colleges have the highest percentage
of pupils with five or more A*-C GCSE grades, and technology and
arts colleges also achieved higher than the national average,
but sports colleges achieved slightly below it;
— the trend of improvement since 1997 for the schools
is broadly similar to the national picture (although many of the
specialist colleges have only held that status for part of the
period); and
— technology colleges, which form the largest number
of specialist schools, have shown a small fall in their improvement
trend since the analysis undertaken in 2001 and now only show
a slight lead over the national trend.
November 2002
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