Memorandum submitted by Jacqueline Winstanley,
Chair, National Access to Culture Forum
INCLUSION TRAINING
FOR OFSTED
INSPECTORS
This submission represents the experiences of
the Inclusion Officers, Providers of Play Childcare and cultural
opportunities, Parents/Carers, Children and Young people in Manchester,
Rochdale, Trafford, Leeds, Knowsley's and Bolton.
As part of an implementation process of what
was previously known as the Inclusive Play care Model (now the
Inclusion Framework) which began in 2001, all of the above have
had direct experience of the inspection process undertaken by
Ofsted.
During this time there has been extensive audit
and review of outcomes in this area collated within each Authority/organisation
and brought to the National Forum.
As part of this implementation process Inclusion
Training was undertaken by the North West Regional Ofsted Inspectors
relating to the Framework and in particular the Social Model of
Disability and the relevance and reality of positive opportunities
for disabled children and young people.
Following this training, providers who had previously
expressed anxiety around the standard relating to Inclusive practice,
reported a much more positive experience within the inspection
process and an increased level of clarity on both sides both in
knowledge and understanding of the actual issues around providing
an inclusive opportunity and the individual factors which were
necessary and could be easily requested and evidenced within the
inspection process.
Inclusion Officers began to make the Forum aware
of settings who were being awarded outstanding practice in this
area, they believed as a direct result of the Inspectors accessing
Inclusion training.
I myself am directly aware, as the Training
provider at the time, of the positive response from the Inspectors
to the training and the impact it had at the time, particularly
around the difference between the Play and Educational settings
when inspecting inclusive practice.
As time has elapsed and the cascading process
continued there has not been to our knowledge any further uptake
of such training within the different regions and our most recent
audit (September 2007 currently being collated) is starting to
evidence, as would be natural, an inconsistency in clarity within
the process as new Inspectors come on board who had not received
training.
A general feeling amongst Inclusion Officers
and providers is that this inconsistency can lead to good practice
going unrecognised during some inspections and increased confusion
and anxiety within the process.
"The aim is for Ofsted to look at the
broader sense of the word `inclusion' through the social model
of disability, and not solely refer to the SEN policy."
Inclusion Officer, Trafford
Parents and Carers have expressed that they
felt after the training the Inspectors seemed to know what they
were looking for and understood what the issues were for the families
and they had more confidence in the inspection process and their
role and that of their children/young people in it.
In conclusion the Forum can only base our submission
on the experiences of those within it and we recognise as pointed
out by some of our Inclusion Officers we do not know what training
the Ofsted Inspectors currently access in this area.
RECOMMENDATION
The Forum would however strongly support any
request for Ofsted Inspectors to undertake appropriate Inclusion
Training as part of workforce development in this area and would
be happy to provide further evidence to the benefits of such training
if required.
December 2007
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