Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Ofsted to the Chairman
I was grateful for the opportunity to give evidence
to the Select Committee on Wednesday 6 May, as part of your inquiry
into School Accountability. At the conclusion of the session,
I agreed to send you what evidence we have that school inspection
works, and is well received by the providers that we inspect and
their users.
We have our own evidence but more importantly, I
believe that the external surveys that we have commissioned on
the schools sector, will provide valuable evidence for this inquiry.
Please find the following reports enclosed:
— The National Foundation for Educational
Research's (NFER) report, Impact of Section 5 inspections: maintained
schools in England, published May 2007. The NFER has recently
completed a similar survey. This will be published in June 2009,
and I will ensure that you are sent a copy.
— The National Foundation for Educational
Research's Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey on Ofsted inspections,
published April 2009. This survey was completed by a sample of
over 1330 teachers and was weighted to ensure that it was representative.
— An Ipsos MORI survey of parents views
of inspection, published March 2009. Ipsos MORI are also conducting
a survey of young peoples' views of inspection and I will send
you a copy once this is published. We anticipate publication in
July 2009.
— Ofsted also commissions its own School
Inspection Surveys, inviting all schools to send their views on
the inspection process following their inspection. This programme
has been in place for many years. Around two thirds of schools
that are inspected complete and return it. These findings, although
not fully independent like those above, are overwhelmingly positive.
A summary of responses to some of the key questions, covering
the period April 2008 to March 2009, is enclosed as Appendix A.
These surveys consistently highlight the positive
impact of inspection, as viewed by parents, teachers and other
stakeholders in the sector. Table A presents some of the headline
findings from these surveys.
Table A
STAKEHOLDERS VIEWS ON OFSTED's INSPECTION
OF SCHOOLS
| Stakeholder |
Survey findings |
| School leaders and other staff (as sampled by NFER)
| — 88% were quite or very satisfied with the inspection process.
— 95% found the Self-Evaluation Form a helpful vehicle for self-evaluation.
— 92% found oral feedback from inspectors useful.
— 84% found the Ofsted report helpful in identifying areas for improvement in the school.
— Approximately three quarters found the Ofsted report accurate in identifying strengths and weaknesses.
— 89% viewed Ofsted's recommendations as helpful. 87% took specific actions based upon their recommendations. Amongst inadequate schools, 95% reported taking action on Ofsted recommendations.
Source: NFER Impact of Section 5 inspections: maintained schools in England survey, 2007
|
Teachers | — 88% think inspections identified new areas of priority for their schools.
— 84% regard classroom observations as an important and welcome aspect of inspection.
— 58% felt that inspections had contributed positively to their individual approach to teaching.
— 85% felt that inspection had brought changes in teaching and learning activities within their school.
Source: NFER Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey, 2009
|
Parents | — 92% are in favour of school inspection, with only 4% against.
— 84% of those whose child's school had been inspected said that they found the inspection report helpful.
— 82% believe that inspection contributes to school improvement, and only 8% are sceptical about its impact.
Source: Ipsos MORI survey of parents views of inspection, 2009
|
Headteachers | — 94% are satisfied with the way their schools were inspected.
— 94% are satisfied with the quality of their report.
— 96% believe their inspection will move the school forward.
— 81% believe the benefits of inspection outweigh the negatives.
Source: Ofsted's ongoing School Inspection Surveys, April 2008 to March 2009
|
Christine Gilbert
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector
May 2009
| |
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