Select Committee on Education and Skills Minutes of Evidence


Memorandum submitted by the National Union of Teachers

  This memorandum sets out some questions which arise from the HMCI Annual Report for 2002-03. It is a detailed report and the questions set out below are not inclusive. There are other, equally pertinent, questions that arise from the report.

COMMENTARY

  1.  HMCI warns: "we should be cautious about expecting everything to improve continuously, but this apparent plateau is a cause for concern. We must ask what needs to be done to restore momentum". (Page 2)

    —  Could HMCI expand on the apparent tension between this and the Government's exhortations to schools to demonstrate continuous improvement?

    —  How does this judgement fit in with reported continuing improvements in the quality of primary teaching and leadership?

  2.  HMCI states: "To pick up a theme that I raised last year, it is right to say that satisfactory teaching is a general measure of acceptable competence. However, it is not a powerful enough engine to drive continued progress". (Page 2)

    —  On what evidence base and using what mechanisms, did HMCI move from raising the question of "satisfactory being good enough" in last year's Annual Report to stating it is not in this year's report?

    —  If satisfactory teaching represents "acceptable competence" in HMCI's commentary, why is it being used to classify schools as "unsatisfactory" in the new Section 10 inspection framework?

    —  Would HMCI comment on the tension between this view and the caution he expressed above about expecting everything to improve continuously?

    —  As pointed out in Ofsted's recent report on the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies (NLNS), many teachers' and schools' adherence to methods and materials formulated centrally may have an adverse effect on the quality of teaching. In HMCI's view, would strict adherence to NLNS materials, for example, represent satisfactory teaching?

    —  Would HMCI agree that the description of teaching as "only satisfactory", for example in paragraph 44, is demoralising and undermines the efforts made by teachers? Would HMCI agree that such comments reflect the new Section 10 inspection framework, rather than the one which was used to conduct inspections in 2002-03, on which this Annual Report is based?

  3.  HMCI states: "We cannot afford and our children do not deserve a two-tier curriculum". (Page 2)

    —  HMCI says that combining a rich and broad curriculum with high standards "is proving to be a tall order" for many schools, yet the Government continues to use the 2002 Ofsted report on the curriculum in primary schools as evidence to refute such claims. Would the HMCI agree that the Ofsted curriculum report features a minority of schools which have "bucked the trend" and that the HMCI Annual Report gives a more accurate picture of the curriculum in primary schools in general?

    —  To what factors does HMCI attribute the widening gap between achievement in the core and the foundation subjects?

    —  How optimistic is HMCI that the Primary Strategy will redress the balance between achievement in the core and foundation subjects?

  4.  HMCI believes that: "There is scope, though, for more focused evaluation of how pupils are progressing and, for this, alongside other assessment information, to guide teaching so that it is more securely tailored to pupils' needs". (Page 4)

    —  Would HMCI expand on what he describes as "more focused evaluation" and "other assessment information"?

    —  Does HMCI envisage that summative assessment information would be used for formative purposes? If so, how?

    —  Would HMCI agree that the use of Assessment for Learning could have a significant impact in ensuring that teaching was more closely aligned to pupils' needs?

  5.  HMCI notes the difficulty of recruiting experienced teachers to "the most difficult and deprived areas" and also emphasises the importance of good or better teaching in such schools. (Page 4)

    —  Would HMCI agree that schools in the most difficult and deprived areas are being penalised for being unable to recruit experienced teachers?

    —  What strategies would HMCI suggest such schools employ to recruit experienced teachers, given the financial constraints many schools are experiencing currently?

    —  Would HMCI agree that the cancellation of the DfES sabbatical scheme for experienced teachers working in schools in challenging circumstances is unlikely to assist schools' recruitment and retention efforts?

  6.  In addition to recruitment difficulties, on page five HMCI refers to a wide range of other factors which inhibit the progress made by schools in deprived areas, such as physical and cultural isolation, the high mobility of pupils and lack of parental support.

    —  Whilst acknowledging the "significant contribution" made by the quality of leadership in such schools, would HMCI agree that there are some socio-economic factors which impact on pupil performance that can only be mitigated, rather than tackled fully, by school leaders?

    —  Would HMCI agree that the leaders of schools in deprived areas have to demonstrate a higher standard of leadership and management than colleagues in schools in more affluent areas in order to receive a satisfactory or better inspection judgement, given the current model of inspection which focuses solely on outputs? Would HMCI describe such arrangements as equitable?

    —  Does HMCI agree that the difficulty experienced in recruiting headteachers and other senior managers to schools in deprived areas is linked to the greater challenge such schools offer, including Ofsted inspections?

  7.  Although funding has been a critical issue for schools over the last year, it is not referred to in either the "Commentary" or "The Work Ahead" sections of the Annual Report.

    —  Why has a little prominence been given to such an important topic in HMCI's report?

    —  Is HMCI planning to investigate systematically the impact of the funding crisis on schools, using the findings of Section 10 reports as well as HMI thematic surveys?

CHILDCARE AND EARLY LEARNING

  8.  HMCI reports that growth in childcare is largest amongst full-day care providers "while sessional provision has decreased marginally". (Paragraph 8)

    —  To what does HMCI attribute this development?

    —  Does HMCI believe that this growth in full-day care indicates a decline in the amount of early education places offered by providers?

  9.  HMCI notes that, in terms of funded nursery education: "in about one in eight settings generally, there are significant areas for improvement or the provision is unacceptable". (Paragraph 19)

    —  Would HMCI expand on this finding, in particular, any category of provider which is over-represented?

    —  Would HMCI agree that there is a link between the quality of educational provision and the employment of qualified early years teachers?

NURSERY AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

  10.  HMCI comments that in the Foundation Stage: "In communication, language and literacy, children's speaking and listening skills are better than their early skills in reading and writing". (Paragraph 29)

  He goes on to report that: "Children do not make sufficient progress because they are asked to record their ideas in writing before they have had a chance to talk about them". (Paragraph 31)

    —  Would HMCI acknowledge the tensions implied in these two statements?

    —  Does HMCI believe that, despite guidance from Ofsted, some inspectors still expect to see formal literacy and numeracy teaching throughout the Foundation Stage and that this had an impact on the overall judgements made on these two areas of learning?

  11.  The Annual Report states that EAL pupils' "progress is better in English than in other subjects and better in the Foundation Stage than at other stages". (Paragraph 42)

    —  Why does HMCI think there is this variation, particularly across the subject areas?

    —  Does HMCI believe that this finding has implications for the funding of specialist support for EAL pupils?

  12.  HMCI notes that many teachers: "are replying on existing records and assessments" rather than using the Foundation Stage Profile. (Paragraph 56)

    —  Would HMCI agree that teachers are, in fact, free to use their own methods of recording assessment, as only the completion of the Profile at the end of the Foundation Stage is a statutory requirement?

    —  Would HMCI agree that such a misunderstanding about teachers' statutory responsibilities is likely to undermine Foundation Stage teachers' confidence in Ofsted judgements?

    —  Would HMCI agree that some teachers would prefer to use their schools' own recording systems, not because they "lack confidence", but because they feel them to be more useful and less bureaucratic than the Profile?

  13.  HMCI finds that: "The gap between the highest and lowest performing schools at Key Stage 2 is the same as last year, at the equivalent of about one National Curriculum level. Prior to 2002, the difference was reducing. The rate of improvement is broadly similar for schools having different socio-economic circumstances". (Paragraph 37)

    —  To what does HMCI attribute this development?

    —  Would HMCI agree with the findings of the Assessment Reform Group that high stakes testing has a disproportionately strong impact on the motivation of lower achieving students, which has the effect of widening the gap between the highest and lowest achieving pupils?

  14.  HMCI finds that: "Too much teaching in the foundation subjects remain "flat" and "ordinary" and it needs to improve to raise standards further". (Paragraph 49)

  In addition, the teaching of ICT is judged to have: "improved more than any other subjects". (Paragraph 47). This improvement is attributed to a number of factors, including training and resourcing.

    —  Would HMCI agree that teachers' access to professional development relating to the foundation subjects has been limited in recent years and that resources have been targeted generally at supporting improvements in numeracy and literacy?

    —  What steps would HMCI recommend should be taken, at national, local and school levels, to further develop the teaching of the foundation subjects?

    —  Would HMCI agree that the amount of time allotted by schools to the foundation subjects has a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning?

  15.  HMCI reports that: "Schools still have difficulty measuring the effects of the work of teaching assistants on pupils' progress in learning". (Paragraph 57)

    —  What Ofsted evidence exists to support the Government's view that the use of teaching assistants to lead (a) part of and (b) whole lessons raises standards?

  16.  The Annual Report states that "only a minority of schools had a clear and well developed strategy to meet the needs of these (EAL) pupils". (Paragraph 76)

    —  Does HMCI believe that the National College for School Leadership has an important role to play in remedying this situation and that the DfES needs to place greater emphasis on providing schools with the appropriate management tools to develop clear and well defined strategies to meet the needs of EAL pupils?

  17.  The Annual Report states that "with exception of RE, the contribution of different subjects to pupils' spiritual and cultural development is not sufficiently exploited". (Paragraph 80)

    —  In HMCI's opinion, is there a role for QCA in providing clear guidance to schools on how the different subject areas can promote pupils' spiritual and cultural development?

SECONDARY EDUCATION

  18.  The report recognises the contribution of a more flexible Key Stage 4, including through "vocational" provision, to enhancing motivation and achievement in some schools.

    —  Does HMCI consider that curriculum flexibility may have any implications for reducing the future choice of some students? Does HMCI agree with the Working Group on 14-19 reform that there should continue to be a common core of skills development and learning for all students?

  19.  HMCI has reported a small increase in the proportion of teaching deemed to be unsatisfactory at Key Stage 4 and has identified weaknesses at middle management level within secondary schools.

    —  To what extent does HMCI attribute such trends to difficulties of teacher supply, for example, difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers of Key Stage 4 subjects, and/or difficulties in teacher retention which may contribute to a smaller "pool" of experienced teachers who may consider moving into middle management.

  20.  HMCI reports a higher proportion of teaching which is good or better in specialist schools, when taken as a whole, compared to schools overall.

    —  Has HMCI collated any evidence from the relatively small sample of specialist schools inspected that this trend is related specifically to specialist status, or whether the quality of teaching in those schools might have been expected to be higher in such schools regardless of teaching and learning?

    —  Has HMCI been able to collate any evidence to suggest that issues of teacher supply, for example the recruitment and retention of teachers, might be less problematic than in schools as a whole and whether this might account for any such variations in teaching quality?

    —  Has HMCI collated evidence to determine whether the apparently particularly high quality of teaching in certain types of specialist schools is attributable to a focus on particular curriculum areas in which the school specialises, or whether the quality of teaching in such schools is consistent across all curriculum areas?

  21.  HMCI's Annual Report states that "a very significant number of traveller children, mainly at Key Stages 3 and 4, do not attend or stay at school" and that "the lack of engagement by traveller children in secondary education remains a matter of serious concern". (Paragraph 106)

    —  Does HMCI see a role for inspection of LEAs to highlight the issue of access and retention to schooling for traveller pupils?

  22.  The report suggests that "in many schools, teachers and teaching assistants require additional training in working with pupils with SEN whose behaviour is particularly challenging including those with autistic spectrum disorders". (Paragraph 133)

    —  What are HMCI's views about the implications for the training of all staff?

  23.  The new Ofsted inspection framework requires inspectors to assess the extent to which schools deal effectively with incidents of bullying, racism and other forms of harassment such as homophobic bullying. The report finds that "in four out of five schools, the approaches used to counter or eliminate instances of oppressive behaviour including harassment and bullying are good or better". Later in this section, the report states that "evidence of oppressive behaviour, found in one in twenty-five schools, is often the result of inconsistent application of the school's approach by inexperienced or temporary staff". (Paragraph 160)

    —  What steps does HMCI believe are necessary to ensure that all staff teaching in schools have appropriate training in tackling bullying behaviour among pupils?

  24.  The Annual Report identified that "equality of access and opportunity is unsatisfactory in one school in twenty", referring to both primary and secondary schools. (Paragraphs 73 and 163)

    —  Does HMCI agree that QCA has still much to do to enable all schools to offer full access to the curriculum?

    —  Does HMCI believe that further training opportunities should be available to schools to eliminate any barriers to providing pupils full access to the curriculum?

    —  What factors does HMCI believe are the main barriers to schools undertaking such training?

  25.  The Annual Report points to the fact that "few schools in areas with small minority ethnic populations are vigorous enough in their schools" (to promote race equality). (Paragraph 162)

    —  Does HMCI agree that such schools would benefit from clear advice from the DfES on promoting race equality in mainly white schools which takes into account their specific circumstances?

EDUCATION IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS AND PUPIL REFERRAL UNITS (PRUS)

  26.  The report finds that "half of the schools for pupils with EBSD that were inspected had experienced significant turbulence in their staffing". Later in the section, the report refers to the excessive turnover of other key staff in EBSD schools and comments that "non-specialist staff are too often recruited to key posts where subject specialisms are crucial for development. As a result, the specialisms of the staff and their levels of expertise often do not meet the school's needs". (Paragraph 264)

    —  Would HMCI expand on what measures he believes are required to alleviate the recruitment and retention difficulties identified in EBSD schools?

  27.  In general, special schools receive high ratings from the Chief Inspector for the standards achieve.

    —  What implications does HMCI draw from this finding for the Government's policies for inclusion?

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES

  28.  HMCI reports that "the number of schools made subject to special measures increased in 2002-03 and that many of these included schools which had previously been judged as having serious weaknesses and/or were schools in challenging circumstances". (Paragraphs 305-6 and 333-4)

    —  Does HMCI believe that such schools receive sufficient support to enable them to improve? In what way does Ofsted contribute to their improvement?

    —  Does HMCI agree that the Section 10 inspection framework makes it more likely that schools in challenging circumstances will be placed in special measures due to factors such as lack of parental support?

    —  Does HMCI believe that the significant increase in the number of schools placed in special measures or serious weaknesses categories since September 2003 may, in part, be due to inspectors' lack of familiarity with or misinterpretation of, the new inspection framework?

  29.  Difficulties with the recruitment and retention of experienced staff for schools designated as requiring special measures and/or serious weaknesses are identified as a barrier to improvement by HMCI. (Paragraphs 309, 311, 318)

    —  Does HMCI agree that the current process of placing schools in special measures is, in fact, counter-productive, in that it exacerbates such schools' problems in retaining high quality staff?

    —  How does HMCI believe that recruitment and retention in special measures schools could be improved?

  30.  HMCI describes the wide variation in progress made by Fresh Start schools (paragraph 327) and the "greatest challenges" such schools face in raising standards achieved by the previous schools, in particular "recruiting appropriately qualified teachers and middle managers; a legacy of underachievement; unsatisfactory behaviour and attitudes to learning; poor attendance". (Paragraph 328)

    —  Would HMCI agree that the Fresh Start initiative is not as effective in raising standards as the Government has claimed?

    —  Does HMCI believe that the policy of making all staff reapply for their posts at the new school has the effect of de-stablising staffing and that this is counter-productive in terms of the need for knowledge of the pupils' prior attainment and attitudes to learning?

    —  How does HMCI account for the reported weaknesses in the leadership and management of Fresh Start schools, given the high profile of headteachers appointed to such schools?

  31.  The section on Education Action Zones (Paragraphs 339-343) is critical of EAZs for lack of focus and poor management.

  The NUT-commissioned research by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2000 identified the lack of involvement by teachers at the development and early implementation stage of Education Action Zones. This was largely due to the Government's strategy of presenting EAZs as challenging teachers' pay and conditions and working practices and encouraging the private sector to become involved in the operation of the Zones.

  In addition, the competitive bidding process for Zone funding meant that a variety of attention-catching initiatives were proposed, rather than more realistic and coherent strategies for improving pupil achievement.

    —  Would HMCI agree that an important lesson of the Education Action Zone initiative is that teacher involvement and expertise are essential in tackling the issues of low pupil achievement and poor motivation and that one factor in the greater success of the Excellence in Cities/Excellence Clusters initiatives is the integral role of LEAs and teachers in the operation in the operation of these programmes?

    —  Has HMCI drawn any conclusions as to the factors which contribute to successful and sustained school improvement strategies and those which have proved to be unsuccessful? Has he advised the Government on these factors so that they can inform future policy making?

  32.  The Academies programme is one of the Government's current strategies for improving poorly performing secondary schools, which is in its early stages in terms of numbers of Academies in operation.

    —  Will HMCI be reporting on the early outcomes of the Academies programme in next year's report and, if so, will that include an assessment of the impact of Academies on neighbouring schools?

TEACHER TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPLY

  33.  HMCI notes, in relation to initial teacher training, that "weaknesses arise because too much responsibility is carried out by a small number of people. This is particularly a problem in SCITTs". (Paragraph 359)

    —  Could HMCI expand on this finding, in particular, the capacity of schools to provide high quality initial teacher training experiences?

    —  What additional support does HMCI believe is needed, at school level, to bring about the necessary improvements?

  34.  The Annual Report states that "there is wide variation in the extent to which they (providers) take positive steps to recruit from minority ethnic and under-represented groups". (Paragraph 361)

    —  Whilst funding from the TTA to support initiatives to recruit trainees from minority ethnic days is beginning to have some effect, does HMCI believe that much more is needed to not only recruit minority ethnic trainees into teacher training but also to retain them on courses?

  35.  The Annual Report identifies a concern that "some aspects of inclusion, such as the teaching of EAL pupils, do not yet have enough attention in many courses". (Paragraph 366)

    —  Does HMCI agree that this aspect of inclusion needs a specific focus from the TTA and a themed inspection on this would help to provide key pointers for improvement?

  36.  In relation to primary teacher training, the report finds that "training pays insufficient attention to the teaching of pupils with special educational needs". (Paragraph 363) In relation to secondary school teacher training, the report finds that "the assessment of pupils' progress and achievement remains the weakest element of the trainees' teaching". (Paragraph 370)

    —  What implications does HMCI think that these findings have for the development of initial teacher training and continuous professional development programmes?

  37.  HMCI reports a number of concerns about the quality of flexible post-graduate teacher training, including initial training plans (Paragraph 381), school-based training and quality assurance procedures. (Paragraph 382)

    —  To what does HMCI attribute these weaknesses?

    —  How confident is HMCI in the quality of those teachers who have undertaken this training route?

    —  What action does HMCI believe should be taken to address the concerns raised in this report?

    —  What further action will Ofsted take to pursue these concerns?

  38.  HMCI attributes post-graduate in-service training with a number of specific benefits, including improvement in "participants' ability to analyse their classroom practice, facilitate school improvement and disseminate examples of effective teaching" (Paragraph 400) and "enhanced teaching and learning, improved curriculum planning, assessment and setting of pupils' targets and better systems of self-review". (Paragraph 401)

    —  Does HMCI believe it would be beneficial for individual teachers and for schools if such training were to be available to all teachers as an entitlement rather than paid for by teachers themselves, as is the case in many schools currently?

    —  Would HMCI agree that sustained, high quality professional development, which meets teachers' and schools' individual needs, is more effective than one-off training opportunities which are closely linked to national priorities?

    —  Would HMCI expand on the quality of in-service training in general and, in particular, on the effect the discontinuation of a number of funding streams, has had on teachers' access to CPD?

  39.  HMCI reports that "the number of teachers in post in English schools has increased by 4,000 since last year". (Paragraph 407)

    —  Would HMCI confirm whether this figure includes unqualified as well as qualified teachers?

    —  Given the reported increase in the number of teachers, why are so many schools continuing to experience difficulty in recruiting staff?

    —  Does HMCI agree with the findings of Professor Alan Smithers[10] that, although over 4,000 teachers were recorded as entering the English education system in 2003, greater numbers of teachers left it, resulting in a net loss of some 4,537 primary teachers and a gain of just 20 secondary teachers?

    —  Can HMCI expand on the profile of those teachers entering the system this year, in particular, whether they are specialist teachers offering the shortage subjects listed in paragraph 410?

LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES

  40.  HMCI's confirmation of the improvements in LEA performance is welcome. (Paragraphs 442-446) This year's report, however, does not include reference to the different strategies LEAs have adopted to address weaknesses identified by Ofsted, particularly those which have contracted out their services to private sector partners following intervention by the DfES. Many of these contracts are still in operation or, as in the case of Southwark, have had a highly publicised change of contractor, during the year.

    —  Does HMCI draw any conclusions on the Government's policy of involving the private sector to deliver LEAs services? Does he envisage that this option will be used in the future?

    —  Does HMCI plan to undertake an analysis of the effectiveness of the different methods LEAs have adopted to address weaknesses such as outsourcing and joint venture partnerships with private providers, partnership and secondment arrangements with more successful LEAs, stakeholder boards and education trusts? Would such an analysis include a value-for-money element undertaken by the Audit Commission?

  41.  HMCI states that "in almost half of the LEAs inspected, education development plan targets for Key Stage 2 are unrealistic". (Paragraph 447)

    —  Why does HMCI believe so many LEAs have over-estimated schools' potential performance?

    —  Does HMCI agree that the linkage of schools' performance, as measured by National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests, with LEAs own performance indicators has had an impact on LEAs' target setting?

    —  To what extent have LEAs taken schools' own targets into account when setting targets?

    —  Does Ofsted have any evidence of LEAs bringing excessive pressure to bear on schools in order to meet overly ambitious targets?

  42.  This section on minority ethnic pupils, including traveller pupils (Paragraph 455) states that "in a few LEAs, a clearer priority to providing support for these pupils and closing the gap between the attainment of pupils from different ethnic groups is evident".

    —  Does HMCI agree that to ensure that the majority of LEAs prioritise closing the gap between the attainment of pupils from different ethnic groups, a clear emphasis on this is needed in the inspection of LEAs?

  43.  In relation to pupils with SEN, the report states that "few LEAs have effective systems for monitoring the use of devolved funding in schools or for demonstrating changes in pupils' level of achievement". (Paragraph 467)

    —  Is HMCI concerned about the increasing devolution of SEN funding away from LEAs to schools?

  44.  The NUT views with concern HMCI's finding that "in a quarter of all LEAs inspected, support (for measures to combat racism) was unsatisfactory, . . . (and) not all LEAs have yet established systems for reporting racial incidents that are used consistently. Some LEAs, including those with significant numbers of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, still do not have appropriate mechanisms for consulting with representative groups". (Paragraph 477)

    —  Does HMCI agree that these LEAs are in breach of their duties to meet the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act and that more robust advice from the DfES is needed, including appropriate resources to enable LEAs to develop good practice?

QUALITY AND SERVICE

  45.  HMCI notes that the proportion of complaints by schools increased slightly over the year (Paragraph 500) and that, of the formal complaints, "about half were partially upheld and the remainder were not upheld". (Paragraph 500)

    —  To what does HMCI attribute this growth in complaints. Was there any discernible trend?

    —  Could HMCI confirm that no formal complaints were fully upheld?

    —  Of those complaints which were partially upheld, was there any particular aspect of the inspection process which complainants had in common?

  46.  HMCI reports that "all inspectors were trained and assessed in the new inspection arrangements that came into effect in September 2003". (Paragraph 514) However, page 32 of the Winter 2003 edition of "Update", the Ofsted publication for inspectors, makes it clear that a number of inspectors are yet to undertake or complete this training and that, in addition, a number of misunderstandings have arisen as a result of the new inspection framework.

    —  Could HMCI confirm that all inspectors, undertaking Section 10 inspections since September 2003, have completed training in the new inspection arrangements?

    —  Could HMCI describe the monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms which are being used to check inspectors' understanding of and compliance with the new inspection framework? Does HMCI envisage further training opportunities will be offered to inspectors?

  47.  HMCI states that "the number of inspection providers has decreased by almost half from 120 in 1997-98 to 69 in 2002-03" as a result of Ofsted requiring "greater business efficiencies and more flexibility". (Paragraph 526)

    —  Would HMCI agree that there is a danger that the number of inspection providers will continue to decline, leading to a monopoly of inspection by relatively few providers?

    —  What advantages and disadvantages does HMCI believe the current system of competitive tendering brings to the inspection process?

February 2004





10   Smithers, A and Robinson, P, The Reality of School Staffing, Centre for Education and Employment Research, University of Liverpool/National Union of Teachers, 2003. Back


 
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