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Ofsted

Ofsted: Greenwood Academies Trust ‘let down pupils’

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Greenwood Academies Trust has ‘let down pupils over a number of years and across a number of schools’, Ofsted has judged

An inspection of six of the Greenwood multi-academy trust’s schools by the regulator found that three required special measures. Two were judged to be good and one was judged to require improvement.

Two of the four secondary academies that had previously been inspected had declined since their last inspection, and none had improved, the watchdog found.

Greenwood Academies Trust is the eleventh largest MAT in the country, running 31 academies located in the East Midlands and East of England.

The MAT was selected for a focused review because Ofsted’s analysis of its pupils’ outcomes in 2015 revealed “significant concerns” about underperformance.

Based on inspections of the six academies at the beginning of November, Ofsted concluded the trust had “not done enough” to identify the weaknesses of its academies or to support them to improve.

“Leaders have not spotted and reacted quickly enough to the underperformance of key groups of pupils across the trust, such as disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils,” the inspection report states.

‘Deeply concerning’

Ofsted said it was “deeply concerning” that across the trust only 26 per cent of disadvantaged pupils achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics compared to 57 per cent nationally.

For the most able pupils, only 54 per cent across the trust achieved a B or above in English and mathematics, placing it 14th out of 14 among large secondary MATs (a chain containing eight or more secondary academies) on this measure.

The regulator said the trust had “not been effective” in holding principals to account, and described governance as “ineffective, unwieldy and poorly understood by some principals and trust officers”.

However, Ofsted said that since the appointment in January 2016 of current chief executive, Wayne Norrie, the trust had “undergone a period of significant change and restructuring” and had “set clearer and higher expectations” of its schools this academic year.

But while the changes were “beginning to have some early impact in improving outcomes”, the regulator warned that it is “early days” and the impact so far is “extremely limited”.

‘No surprise’

In a statement, Greenwood Academies Trust said it accepted the majority of Ofsted’s findings. However it said it was “disappointed” that Ofsted had reported that the trust had “let down pupils”.

“This is inconsistent with recent Ofsted inspections of 20 academies in the trust, carried out independently of the focussed review,” the statement said.

Mr Norris said that most of the regulator’s findings came as “no surprise”. “They have confirmed that we have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching, pupils’ attainment and progress in our academies.”

He said he was pleased Ofsted recognised the changes made by the trust “are beginning to have some early impact”. “However, the recent developments have not yet had the time to make overarching, sustained improvements to the quality of education offered,” he added.

[Source:- tes]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

School performance link to Brexit vote, says Ofsted boss

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

The failure to improve schools in some parts of England has contributed to the feeling of being ignored revealed in the Brexit vote, the chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw has said.

The Ofsted boss said while standards were rising overall, the number of poorly performing schools in the north and the East Midlands would continue to fuel the sense of a divided nation.

He said the situation was very serious.

The government said 89% of schools were good or outstanding.

In an interview with the BBC in Manchester, Sir Michael said the economic future of the north of England relied on addressing the poor performance of some schools.

He said the European Union referendum result had revealed a wider malaise, with communities feeling their needs were being ignored.

Although some northern city centre areas voted strongly to stay in the EU, large parts of Greater Manchester and some Merseyside towns voted in great numbers to leave.

Manchester skyline — Image captionSir Michael says schools in northern cities such as Manchester need to improve

“The situation is very, very serious. If you look at Manchester, the city we’re in, nearly one in three schools [is] not good. In Liverpool, half are good. If you look at satellite towns, things are worse.

“It’s feeding into a sense that the people of Liverpool, Manchester and the North are not being treated fairly – that their children have less of a chance of educational success than people south of the Wash.

“And that’s feeding into a wider malaise that I sense with the Brexit vote, that actually this wasn’t just about leaving Europe, it’s about ‘our needs being neglected, our children are not getting as good a deal as elsewhere’.

“Parents want to see their children doing well; they want to see them going off to university; they want to see them getting a good job.

“Well, they have less of a chance of that in this city, in Liverpool and elsewhere and that feeds into this sense of discontent in the North and in the Midlands.”

His report said there was considerable evidence that schools in isolated and deprived areas where educational standards are low are losing out in the recruitment stakes.

It added that heads in north-west England are reporting an “auction” for teachers – particularly in Greater Manchester for hard to recruit subjects.

But there are also shortfalls in secondary subjects in south-east England.

Sir Michael said addressing education must be a government priority.

‘More teachers’

The Ofsted annual report, published on Thursday morning, highlights that overall standards are rising, with 1.8m more pupils in good or outstanding maintained schools in 2016 than in 2010.

During this period, the curriculum and assessment regime had become more rigorous and children from poor backgrounds were gaining ground on their peers in national primary tests.

But the report also said to become truly world class, England needed to have:

High standards in education in every part the country
More teachers and leaders in in the right areas
Technical education that is on a par with academic education

It also highlighted the poor quality of education in the more geographically and economically isolated parts of the country, including coastal areas.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said good and outstanding schools now made up 89% of all schools inspected in England but acknowledged there was more to do.

“That’s precisely why we have set out plans to make more good school places available, to more parents, in more parts of the country – including scrapping the ban on new grammar school places, and harnessing the resources and expertise of universities, independent and faith schools,” he added.

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the reasons for educational underperformance in some areas were complex.

He said: “Industrial decline, generational unemployment and high levels of deprivation have had a devastating impact on many parts of the country, creating extremely challenging social conditions.

“Schools in these areas often find it difficult to recruit staff and are hit particularly badly by the on-going nationwide teacher recruitment crisis.”

Sir Michael retires as head of Ofsted at the end of the year. He will be succeeded by Amanda Spielman, who currently chairs exams regulator Ofqual.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Muslim school takes legal action against Ofsted for ‘unfair’ report that criticised gender segregation

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Pupils at an Islamic faith school have spoken out about gender segregation in classes complaining it leaves them unprepared for life, a court has heard.

A schools inspector made the claims in a legal battle at the High Court regarding a controversial report into an unknown school by school inspection body Ofsted. The school, known only as School X, is trying to suppress publication of a highly critical report into its alleged practices.

The Islamic voluntary-aided school which teaches pupils aged 4-16, is disputing claims made by Ofsted inspectors and is seeking a judicial review to see the report quashed.

The inspector told the court that from Year 5, girls and boys were segregated for all lessons, break and lunchtimes, as well as for school clubs and trips. They said a number of pupils had said gender segregation was “having a negative effect on being prepared for life in modern Britain… having a negative impact in terms of preparing them for life”. The inspector told the court: “One young woman referred to it as ‘dumb’.”

Helen Mountfield, QC for Ofsted, said: “Both girls and boys suffer the loss of opportunity to learn how to socialise and in due course work with those of the opposite sex [which carries] a necessary implication that girls are inferior to boys”.

She added the school was failing to protect the rights of pupils: “to equal opportunities to learn and develop and take their place in society.”

However, the school’s legal counsel has argued it has been “singled out” despite other schools having similar policies and added that “Ofsted cannot march in and say there is a detriment to everyone. It simply cannot be asserted that lack of ability to consort with the opposite sex is a detriment.”

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

School seeks to block critical Ofsted report

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Sir Michael Wilshaw

A school has gone to the High Court to try to prevent a highly critical Ofsted report from being published.

The report is understood to criticise the school for a policy of teaching boys and girls separately and segregating them at mealtimes.

Reporting restrictions mean neither the name nor the location of the school can be revealed.

The school has the backing of its local education authority in its attempt to stop publication of the report.

The school’s interim board is disputing the report’s findings and is applying for a judicial review to have it quashed.

On Tuesday, Mr Justice Jay, sitting in London, was told the school – which is in England – admitted pupils of both sexes between the ages of four and 16.

He heard how, from Year 5 (age 10 and 11), girls and boys were completely segregated for lessons, break and lunchtimes, as well as for school clubs and trips.

Barristers representing the school claimed documents suggested Ofsted inspectors had decided that segregation of pupils was unlawful, before visiting the school.

They outlined what they described as “pre-determined bias” against the school by inspectors.

Under cross-examination, the lead Ofsted inspector said some pupils had expressed unease about girls and boys being taught separately.

One girl told him it was “dumb” and another said it did not prepare her for life in Britain.

The school cannot be identified because a judge at an earlier hearing said identifying it could “generate a media storm and tensions and fears for parents and the local community”.

Objections to Ofsted

Ofsted has told the BBC there have been four attempts this year for injunction or judicial review against one of their reports.

Of these, two were turned down. In one case, an injunction failed and the report was published, but the school is still seeking retrospectively to overturn the findings via a judicial review.

The fourth attempt comes from the school currently at the High Court.

If the judge rules that the inspection report cannot be published, the case could make it easier for other schools to block critical reports by inspectors.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Grammar schools help poor claim is ‘tosh’ , says Ofsted chief Wilshaw

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Sir Michael Wilshaw

The idea that poor children will benefit from a return of grammar schools is “tosh” and “nonsense”, says the outgoing chief inspector of Ofsted.

Sir Michael Wilshaw said a return to selection at 11 years old would be a “profoundly retrograde step” that would lead to sliding standards.

He spoke out after reports that Prime Minister Theresa May favours changing the law so new grammars can open.

England’s Education Secretary Justine Greening is looking into the issue.

Supporters of grammar schools say that children from poor backgrounds are helped to make the most of their potential because entry to such schools is on the basis of raw ability.

But many argue that, in fact, the vast majority of those doing well in entrance tests are children whose parents have paid for them to be privately tutored outside school.

In a speech to London Councils’ education conference, Sir Michael praised the success of schools in the capital saying they had undergone an “amazing transformation” and lead the way in “narrowing the attainment gap between rich and poor”.

“It has maintained its status as the top performing region across all key stages when it comes to the performance of children eligible for free school meals,” he said.

The soaring success of London schools made “a mockery of the claim that opening up many grammar schools is the key to unlocking the potential of disadvantaged children and to boosting social mobility,” he said.

‘Pretty woeful’

“If grammar schools are the great answer, why aren’t there more in London?

“If they are such a good thing for poor children, then why are poor children here in the capital doing so much better than their counterparts in those parts of the country that operate selection?”

He said he appreciated that many grammar schools did a “fine job”, but added that their record of admitting children from non-middle class backgrounds was “pretty woeful”.

“The notion that the poor stand to benefit from the return of grammar schools strikes me as quite palpable tosh and nonsense – and is very clearly refuted by the London experience.”

He cited figures showing the under-representation of poor pupils in grammar schools.

In Bexley, he said grammar schools had 9% of pupils on free school meals, compared to 28% in non-selective schools.

In Sutton, where five out of 14 schools are grammars, the proportion is about 7% in grammar schools and 25% in non-selective schools.

In a BBC interview this weekend, Mrs May did not answer directly a question about whether she planned to bring back grammar schools.

But she said Ms Greening was looking at the issue of new grammar schools as well as other areas of education policy.

Labour banned new grammars in 1998 amid concerns they were dominated by middle-class pupils whose parents gave them a head-start with private tutoring.

England’s first “new” grammar for 50 years in Sevenoaks, Kent, was only approved last year as an “annexe” to an existing school using a loophole in the law.

Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner described Sir Michael’s comments as “an embarrassing rebuke” for the Conservatives.

“The Tories should be concentrating instead on raising standards in all schools and improving education for all our children, regardless of their backgrounds.

“They are failing to do so. But they want to return to a system in which children were branded as failures at the age of 11 and which only increased division in our society.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Ofsted chairman ‘should not resign’ over Isle of Wight comments

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Ofsted chairman David Hoare went “over the top” when he called the Isle of Wight a “ghetto” but should not resign, Sir Michael Wilshaw says.

Ofsted’s chief inspector of schools told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Mr Hoare had been “a good chair”.

Mr Hoare has apologised for his comments about the island, in which he also said “there has been inbreeding”.

He said he had been trying to highlight the unacceptably poor performance of schools on the island over many years.

His comments, made at a recent teaching conference and highlighted in the Times Educational Supplement, prompted a call for him to resign. He has apologised for any upset or offence he may have caused.

Sir Michael said: “He’s handled the board well and he’s passionate about raising standards.

“On this occasion he used inappropriate language and he’s apologised profusely for that because he’s offended people in the Isle of Wight, and he should have done that.”

‘Low standards’

Sir Michael added that while Mr Hoare’s words had been “inappropriate”, he was raising an important issue.

“He has drawn everyone’s attention to the problems of areas like the Isle of Wight and coastal resorts. We undertook a focused inspection of the Isle of Wight four years ago and found standards to be terribly, pitifully low.

“The reason why London and other big cities are doing well is because they’ve got good heads and they’ve got good teachers and people are attracted to those areas.

“It’s much more difficult to attract staff to areas which are less popular and where the challenges are that much greater.”

‘Insulted residents’

Mr Hoare, who has a home on the mainland near the island, said education on the Isle of Wight was often a topic of conversation with his dinner party guests.

“They think of it as holiday land. But it is shocking,” he said. “It’s a ghetto; there has been inbreeding.

“Seven state schools were all less than good. There is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment.”

Ofsted said the chairman had been expressing his personal views and they did not reflect those of the inspectorate or its chief inspector.

But Isle of Wight council leader Jonathan Bacon said he would contact Education Secretary Justine Greening to seek an explanation from Mr Hoare for his comments.

He said: “David Hoare’s comments about ‘inbreeding’ and ‘ghettos’ on the Isle of Wight are truly offensive to the people of the Isle of Wight and bear no relation to the facts.”

And Ms Lowthion, who is a teacher on the island, said: “‘I am absolutely appalled that the chairman of Ofsted thinks it helpful, truthful or professional to describe our families and young people in that way.

“I think it reflects more on himself than it does on our hard-working teachers and schools.

“It is well-known that coastal towns need investment and support to improve education standards and participation.

“He has insulted residents of coastal towns across the country and should resign.”

Following the outcry, Mr Hoare said: “My intention was to highlight how concerned I am about the unacceptably poor performance of schools on the Isle of Wight over many years and how this is damaging the prospects of young people who live on the island.

“Those who know me will realise that I am passionate about improving outcomes for children from our most disadvantaged communities and my comments were made in this context.”

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Ofsted boss sorry for calling Isle of Wight a ghetto

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

The chairman of Ofsted has apologised after he called the Isle of Wight a “ghetto” where “there has been inbreeding”.

David Hoare said he had been trying to highlight the unacceptably poor performance of schools on the island over many years.

His comments, made at a recent teaching conference, prompted a call for him to resign.

Mr Hoare apologised for any upset or offence he may have caused.

Green Party education spokeswoman Vix Lowthion said Mr Hoare’s comments made him “unfit” for his post and called on him to step down.

‘Shocking’

Isle of Wight council leader Jonathan Bacon said he would contact Education Secretary Justine Greening to seek an explanation from Mr Hoare for his comments.

He said: “David Hoare’s comments about ‘inbreeding’ and ‘ghettos’ on the Isle of Wight are truly offensive to the people of the Isle of Wight and bear no relation to the facts.”

Ofsted said the chairman had been expressing his personal views and they did not reflect those of the inspectorate or its chief inspector.

The controversial comments, made at a teaching conference last week, were highlighted in the Times Educational Supplement.

Mr Hoare, who has a home on the mainland near the island, said education on the Isle of Wight was often a topic of conversation with his dinner party guests.

“They think of it as holiday land. But it is shocking,” he said.

‘Insult’

“It’s a ghetto; there has been inbreeding.

“Seven state schools were all less than good. There is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment.”

But Ms Lowthion, who is a teacher on the island, said: “‘I am absolutely appalled that the chairman of Ofsted thinks it helpful, truthful or professional to describe our families and young people in that way.

“I think it reflects more on himself than it does on our hard-working teachers and schools.

“It is well-known that coastal towns need investment and support to improve education standards and participation.

“He has insulted residents of coastal towns across the country and should resign.”

“Those who know me will realise that I am passionate about improving outcomes for children from our most disadvantaged communities and my comments were made in this context.”

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Ofsted warning on colleges extremism

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Laptop

There are warnings from Ofsted that further education providers are “falling short in protecting learners from risk of extremism”.

The education watchdog has been examining how well colleges implement the Prevent counter-extremism strategy.

In one case, inspectors said a student had watched “terrorist propaganda video” in a resource centre.

Ofsted’s Paul Joyce said there was “poor practice that I’ve no doubt would shock parents and learners alike”.

The report from Ofsted, based on visits to 37 further education and skills providers and 46 regular inspections or monitoring visits, concluded that too many students were at risk of “radicalisation and extremism”.

It found that general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges were “making good progress” with carrying out the Prevent duties on tackling extremism.

But there were particular concerns about small, independent providers, who might be “leaving learners at risk”.

Extremist websites

Ofsted inspectors warned of a lack of safeguards for internet use and found examples where students had been able to “bypass” online security settings to visit websites “selling firearms” or “promoting terrorist ideology”.

“These included one isolated instance of a learner viewing a terrorist propaganda video in the provider’s learning resource centre,” the report says.

This is understood to be a video from so-called Islamic State showing a beheading.

The Ofsted report says some colleges have adopted a tougher line on internet access, such as “stringent firewalls” and regular checks on attempts to access inappropriate websites.

And there are colleges that block internet access on students’ personal devices when they are on college premises.

There were also some concerns over checks on external speakers.

But, overall, inspectors found that outside speakers helped students to learn about different views, which promoted “tolerance, respect and democracy”.

Ofsted’s deputy director for further education and skills, Paul Joyce, said that most leaders of FE and sixth-form colleges were making “quick progress” in carrying out their duties under the Prevent strategy, introduced for colleges last year.

But he said it was worrying that for some providers “the progress made in implementing the duty has been slow”.

David Corke, the Association of Colleges’ director of education and skills, said colleges have been “working incredibly hard to implement the duty, and they will continue to do so as the threat of radicalisation and terrorism is ever present”.

“The safeguarding of students is of paramount importance for further education and sixth-form colleges,” he said.

But Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU lecturers’ union, said that colleges had to cope with “vague definitions” and “inconsistent advice” in the debate about challenging radicalisation and protecting free speech.

“The Prevent duty risks doing more harm than good by shutting down debate on contentious topics and creating mistrust between teachers and students,” she said.

“College teachers have always taken their duty of care to students very seriously, so the focus on implementing the Prevent duty is both unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.”

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “While the majority of providers have worked hard to implement the safeguards effectively, we recognise there is still further work to do in making the government-funded guidance and training as consistent as possible.”

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Disadvantaged pupils learning watered-down curriculum, says Ofsted

by Loknath Das October 12, 2017

written by Loknath Das

Parents have told Ofsted that preparing for exams was eating into their children’s learning time. Photograph: Eye Ubiquitous/Alamy

Disadvantaged children are being shut out from learning a rich range of knowledge, as schools restrict low-attaining pupils to “badges and stickers” rather than history or geography, the chief inspector of schools in England has said.

Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, said social mobility could be at risk if some pupils were given restricted options and schools watered down their curriculum to concentrate on exam results.

“Low-attaining pupils need basic skills, as all pupils do, but they shouldn’t as a consequence be shut out of parts of the essential body of knowledge for any pupil,” Spielman said in a commentary published by Ofsted.

Her comments were based on initial results from research carried out by Ofsted, involving visits to 40 schools, discussions with headteachers and other data such as inspection reports and parent surveys.

“In a few of the schools visited, lower-attaining pupils did not have any opportunity to study a language or some arts subjects, as the school directed them on to a pathway that excluded the subject as an option, in some cases from the age of 12,” Spielman said.

“It is a risk to social mobility if pupils miss out on opportunities to study subjects and gain knowledge that could be valuable in subsequent stages of education or in later life.”

Spielman said the results showed a worrying trend of children from poorer backgrounds or more challenging circumstances being offered fewer choices at GCSE level than their better-off peers.

Restricted subject choice for low-attaining pupils “disproportionately affects pupils from low-income backgrounds”, she argued. “The focus here should be on what these pupils should be learning and what they need to do to progress. It should not focus solely on the qualification they are taking.

“This leads us back to school leaders mistaking ‘badges and stickers’ for learning and substance. It should also not be taken as read that higher scores for the school always means a better deal for pupils.

“If a pupil gains valuable knowledge, for instance in history, but does not get a grade four [C], they will still be better educated for having studied it.”

The research also found schools opting to start pupils studying for GCSEs a year early, curtailing key stage three by a year in order to improve exam results.

“This inevitably means that a considerable number of pupils will be experiencing only two years of study before dropping, for example, history or geography or a language, possibly never to study these subjects again,” Spielman said.

“And for most children, the end of key stage three is the last time they will take art, music, drama or design and technology.”

The Ofsted research also confirmed that some primary schools have been discarding the national curriculum in favour of more test preparation in key stage two.

Parents told Ofsted that preparing for tests was cutting into their children’s learning time. One school told Ofsted its pupils sat mock tests every week in years five and six, in the run-up to standardised tests at the end of year six.

Spielman said: “Testing in school clearly has value. This kind of test is intended to measure the child’s ability to comprehend. However, the regular taking of test papers does little to increase a child’s ability to comprehend. A much better use of time is to teach and help children to read and read more.”

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said pressure from the government meant schools in England would be determined to improve their performance in tests and exams.

“If Ofsted wants them to focus less on these assessments, we would suggest it lobbies the government for a change to the accountability system rather than criticising schools,” he said.

Spielman’s comments come as Justine Greening, the education secretary, announced the first details of “T-levels” – technical and vocational qualifications for sixth-formers.

The first subjects, including childcare and construction, will be introduced from 2020 with a full range of subjects including hair and beauty, catering and business, starting from 2022.

“As part of making sure that the technical education ladder reaches every bit as high as the academic one, I want to see T-levels that are as rigorous and respected as A-levels,” Greening said.

[“Source-theguardian”]

October 12, 2017 0 comment