Ofsted has announced a series of changes to its inspection handbook for schools to allow it to take account of the impact of Covid-19 in schools.
The watchdogis inspecting schools and colleges thisterm “to provide reassurance about how well children and learners are catching up”.
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Here is a summary of the main changes it has made to its inspection handbook:
Covid: Changes to Ofsted school inspections
1. Schools may get a longer call beforeinspection
Ofsted’s national director of education, Sean Harford, has said thata longer preparation call may be needed before the inspection begins to understand the impact Covid-19 has had on the school.
The call willexplore how the school implemented itscurriculum remotely and what, if any, elements of remote education remain in place at the time of inspection.
2. Ofsted won’t judge the quality of remote education in the first lockdown
Ofsted has said that the quality of remote education in place between March and August 2020 will not impact on thejudgement it makes aboutthe school’s quality of education.
The updated handbook says Ofsted recognises that schools were not required by theDepartment for Educationto provide education to all pupils from March to July last yearbecause ofCovid-19, and may not have been doing so.
It adds: “Throughout the inspection, inspectors will seek to understand how the school adapted and prioritised the curriculum from September 2020.”
3. Ofsted won’t use teacher-assessed grades to make judgements about school curriculum
Under normal circumstances, the inspectorate uses schools’ exam results as part of its judgement when measuring the impact of the school curriculum for its quality of education judgement.
The updated handbook says that teacher-assessed grades from 2020 and 2021 will not be used to assess impact.
4. Inspections would still go aheadif a school has moved to remote learning forsome pupils
Ofsted has said that it will defer or cancel inspection visits if there are Covid-19 restrictions in the local area that require providers to close entirely.
It will also defer or cancel if three-quarters of users are not on site. However, it has said that this does not apply when substantial numbers of pupils are not on site but continue to be educated through remote or blended learning.
5. Schools won’t get an ‘inadequate’ judgementbecause of Covid impact
Ofsted has said it will not give a school an “inadequate” rating if it only meets the criteria for this judgementbecause of the impact of Covid-19.
Normally, a school would be rated “inadequate” under a particular judgement if one or more of the “inadequate” criteria applies.
However, Ofsted has saidthis will not be the case where inadequate criteria apply solely because of the impact of Covid-19.
6. Ofsted wantsto know how schools supported their community through Covid
To establish how schools supported their community through the pandemic, Ofsted inspectors will ask about how remote education was put in place and monitored; how teachers and support staff were prepared for remote education; and howvulnerable pupils were kept safe and prioritised for face-to-face education.
Inspection teams will also check whether parents were kept up to date with developments and changes, and explore how staff and pupils’ wellbeing have been promoted.
7. Schools will not be judged on attendance levels
Inspectors will discuss attendance patterns with school leaders to understand how the pandemicaffected the individual school.
The watchdog has said itwill want to understand how the school ensured the best possible attendance for those pupils eligible to attend in person.
However, attendance between March 2020 and March 2021 will not impact on thejudgement of the school.
