Memorandum submitted by the National Association
of Educational Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants (NAEIAC)
1. The National Association of Educational
Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants wishes to submit the following
comments on aspects of the current work of Ofsted to the House
of Commons Education and Skills Committee, for consideration prior
to its forthcoming meeting with Mr Bell. NAEIAC, as the nationally-recognised
professional body and trade union for educational inspectors,
advisers and consultants, is firmly committed to the belief that
standards and quality of education can be improved through the
intervention of professional inspection, advice, support, training
and leadership, and enjoys regular contact with HMCI and Ofsted
on issues of current concern to inspectors and to LEAs, schools
and colleges.
SUMMARY OF
SUBMISSION
2. Our submission may be summarised as follows:
— The recent publication of Ofsted's
Strategic Plan 2004-07 clearly points to an evolving and more
open approach to the future of the school inspection system and
the considerable information it generates, but also raises several
practical issues connected with (a) the necessary objective of
developing a "holistic" view of school and college improvement
which effectively links up school self-improvement efforts with
the range of external inspectorial and developmental services
to schools and (b) the involvement and deployment of inspectors
themselves.
— The new Strategic Plan also refers
to Ofsted's projected new role of leading the development of an
integrated inspection system for all children's services in local
authority areas, and the allocation of this significant new responsibility
is broadly to be welcomed, given Ofsted's recent track record
in administratively absorbing previously separate inspection regimes.
OFSTED'S
STRATEGIC PLAN
2004-07: REVIEW OF
THE SCHOOL
INSPECTION MODEL
3. The newly-published Ofsted Strategic
Plan 2004-07 is a significant document which builds upon several
of the important themes outlined in the 2003-06 plan published
last April and also embraces new areas for development. The interesting
commitment to undertake a further review of the school inspection
model over the next three years, aiming to introduce improvements
during that period, is welcome in principle but also raises a
number of related practical issues to be addressed in this era
of richer school performance data and the enhanced use of information
technology to analyse results and trends. NAEIAC has no doubts
about HMCI's strong basic commitment to maintaining an independent
and suitably rigorous school inspection regime. In addition, the
stated objectives here (para 2.6) include a valuable emphasis
on "a close link between inspection and (school) self-evaluation
and use of improved performance data". HMCI's introduction
to the document, however, rightly refers to this review "as
one aspect of the government's overall strategy for standards
and accountability in education". A further objective should,
therefore, be to seek to identify and secure appropriate and closer
linkage between the formal inspectorial role of Ofsted and the
ongoing developmental role of LEA and similar school improvement
services, given that school improvement is, by nature, an ongoing
process and also that more collaboration between schools is now
increasingly encouraged and best sustained in practice through
external facilitation by such local agencies. A carefully linked-up
approach to overall school and college improvement is required
for the future, to ensure continuing progress in raising standards.
4. The new Strategic Plan refers to a key
related issue when it discusses ensuring that Ofsted's data is
used "to make the fullest possible contribution to the inspection
process, the improvement of provision and educational debate"
(Section IV). This represents a noteworthy and helpful commitment
to the wider dissemination of Ofsted's extensive database and
associated evidence on significant aspects of educational practice.
NAEIAC has long advocated such a broader dissemination process,
for example by suggesting in a 2002 submission to the Select Committee,
concerning the evolution of LEA inspections, that there should
be "appropriate formats for supplementary papers or events
which could allow valuable information on specific aspects of
best practice . . . to be disseminated on a broader basis across
LEAs". This type of openness can materially assist the desired
"holistic" approach to educational improvement outlined
above.
5. Where the Strategic Plan for 2004-07
describes Ofsted's fundamental Aims and Values, it specifically
mentions meeting "objectives in partnership with others".
As the Plan begins to be implemented in practice, this concept
should be borne in mind in relation to the range of organisational
developments for Ofsted described in Section V of the document.
An effective communications strategy covering inspectors as well
as Ofsted staff should embrace not only enhanced electronic and
hard-copy information flows but improved, two-way, consultative
arrangements. NAEIAC is encouraged by recent developments in Ofsted's
efforts to receive, and respond to, the views of inspectors and
their representatives, and is confident that progress in this
area can assist the wider `ownership' of future changes arising
from reviewing the inspection system itself, as part of a broader
"stakeholder" involvement. This factor is clearly related
to the established principles already reflected in Ofsted's personal
and professional development project, which is mentioned in the
document.
6. The Quality Assurance arrangements for
inspections and the teams which conduct them, are to be reviewed
and developed, under the new Strategic Plan (para 2.2), further
underlining David Bell's stated commitment in the Introduction
"not only to improvement through inspection, but also to
improvement of inspection". The document also refers to an
HMI input, specifying that they will "lead a small proportion
of Section 10 inspections" (para 2.1). This review process
will be of considerable interest to our Association, and could
practically assist those inspection teams which today include
serving headteachers, or other new inspectors, in upholding Ofsted's
reputation for high-quality inspection activity.
7. A smooth transition to a revised, but
rigorous, sensitive and cost-effective, school inspection model
will require careful steps to avoid undue turbulence within an
Ofsted market system already adapting to recent changes, and appropriate
attention to the practical issues facing inspectors themselves,
including long working days and noticeably varying levels of remuneration.
The stated desire to ensure Ofsted staff "have the resources
and support they need to do their jobs effectively" should
equally apply to those conducting school and college inspections.
In addition, the issue of the future supply of trained inspectors
(mentioned in para 2.1) deserves further scrutiny, especially
in certain subject areas, and fresh thought should be given to
outlining the basic obligations falling on schools and their leaderships
during the course of an inspection, in order to better balance
the important requirements of the code of conduct covering inspectors.
OFSTED'S
STRATEGIC PLAN
2004-07: INSPECTION OF
CHILDREN'S
SERVICES AND
AREA-WIDE
INSPECTIONS
8. The new Strategic Plan refers to the
Government's intention, announced in the recent Green Paper "Every
Child Matters", to award Ofsted the lead role in developing
the future integrated inspection system for children's services
in local authority areas, following appropriate consultations.
NAEIAC welcomes the allocation of this new role and believes that
Ofsted is a suitable agency for designing and developing this
important new inspection regime with a view to protecting the
interests of vulnerable children in our society, given its successful
administrative absorption of other, previously separate, inspection
activities over recent times. The projected development of area-wide
inspections of all educational provision will require a process
of thoughtful integration with established inspection systems
and the avoidance of both "gaps" and overlaps in order
to ensure that a balanced and comprehensive approach is genuinely
achieved.
FURTHER INFORMATION
9. NAEIAC trusts that the above points will
be of interest to the Education and Skills Committee, and would
be happy to respond to any requests for further information which
may assist the Committee's deliberations on the work of Ofsted.
October 2003
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