MAIN ESTIMATE 2013-14: RESPONSE BY OFSTED TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

MAIN ESTIMATE 2013-14: RESPONSE BY OFSTED TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS

What is the purpose of the planned spending?

Ofsted’s Main Estimate 2013-14 seeks the necessary resources and cash to enable Ofsted to carry out the inspection and regulation of education, children’s services and skills.

Ofsted inspects the following services: maintained schools and academies; local authority arrangements to support school improvement; some independent schools; early years and childcare; children’s centres; children’s homes; family centres; adoption and fostering services and agencies; Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass); children’s services in local authorities; initial teacher training; further education colleges and 1419 provision; a wide range of work-based learning and skills training; adult and community learning; probation services; and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments.

For a range of early years and children’s social care services, we also act as a regulator, deciding whether people, premises and the services provided are suitable to care for children and potentially vulnerable young people. Where the required standards are not met, we take appropriate action to make sure that children are safe and well looked after.

Ofsted also investigates and reports on the quality of provision in National Curriculum subjects and aspects of social care, childcare, education, and learning and skills , in addition to publishing good practice reports and case studies ..

What are the expected outcomes?

   

The expected outcome is that Ofsted will be able to:

· carry out high quality inspection in line with its legal duties and published inspection frameworks to inform choice and help providers to improve

· report on national standards to help ensure emerging concerns are identified and addressed

· share good practice to celebrate success and help others to learn

· carry out regulatory activity to help ensure children and vulnerable young people are kept safe.

What has changed since the last Estimate (eg what will be done differently, or is no longer being done, or is new)?

Ofsted is reforming the way it inspects, and has made it clear to institutions and providers that anything less than good is not good enough. In schools and colleges, the ‘satisfactory’ inspection grade has been replaced with ‘requires improvement’, and this will be replicated across the early years and social care remits.

In January 2013, Ofsted commenced a move to a new regional structure for the management and delivery of inspection and regulation. The new structure will be implemented in full for all remits by January 2014. There are eight regions in the new structure, each managed by a Regional Director who reports directly to HMCI and who is responsible and accountable for the quality of inspection and the improvement support for providers in their region.

The cost of the reforms is funded by a combination of Spending Review efficiencies made by Ofsted over and above its Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 30% savings commitment and an additional funding contribution from the DfE. The 2013-14 Main Estimate Memorandum includes a DfE additional funding contributed of £10.0m. Any further funding requirement will be reviewed at the Mid Year along with the impact of the reforms.

What efficiencies are being made?

Ofsted is making good progress against its CSR savings commitments through the introduction of, and monitoring against, a high level SR10 implementation plan. Savings in excess of the 30% real terms, requested in the Spending Review from the 2010-11 base year, are forecast to be exceeded, and include a 40% real terms reduction in ‘back-office’ administration costs. In achieving these savings Ofsted is protecting key front line services and has introduced the following initiatives:

· more streamlined processes that make better use of technology and innovative ways to provide high-quality services;

· a review of best practice across government to find greater efficiencies in the way we work, including sharing resources and services where appropriate ;

· improvements and updates to information services, making the best use of information held and using new technologies in efficient and effective ways to support its work;

· reviews of business support functions to ensure they are efficient and effective, provide good value for money, and compare well against relevant benchmarks;

· a review of Ofsted’s property strategy which is supporting a significant reduction in the government property portfolio and improved value for money.

How does the planned spending relate to the department’s overall aims, priorities and business plans?

The planned spending is fully in line with Ofsted’s aim to deliver improvement through high quality inspection and regulation of education, children’s services and skills.