Ofsted’s report cards: what are inspectors set to judge schools on?

Ofsted has published plans today that set out how it intends to inspect schools in up to 11 different areas under its new report cards.
Its consultation on this new inspection framework was launched today with plans for a new five-point scale to be given to schools in a set of key areas, but no overall single-word judgement.
The judgements Ofsted is proposing are “causing concern”, “attention needed”, “secure”, “strong” and “exemplary”.

If Ofsted’s plans go ahead, schools will be graded on this scale in at least eight categories and given a binary standard “met” or “not met” judgement for safeguarding. Where applicable, schools will also be rated for their early years and sixth-form provision.
The inspectorate is also introducing a set of toolkits setting out what inspectors will look at when deciding which grade to give schools.
Here are some key details from these toolkits on how Ofsted plans to reach its grades, in each of the areas that all schools could be assessed on.
Leadership and governance
A school causing concern will be one with leaders who do not identify issues appropriately and take the right steps to deal with them, leaders who “have not done everything they could reasonably do to secure improvements” since being appointed or governors/trustees whose contribution is “weak”.
In this category, the toolkit also includes schools with an “unsustainable” staff workload and those where bullying and harassment go unchallenged.
More on Ofsted’s new inspections:
- Report cards: everything you need to know
- Interview: Sir Martyn Oliver defends report card plan
- Concern as Ofsted fails to name schools trialling report cards
The “attention needed” category will include schools whose leaders’ engagement with parents, carers and the local community is ad hoc, and whose leaders act imprecisely and make decisions that are “sometimes burdensome to staff”.
A “secure” school will have leaders who make well-judged actions that improve or sustain standards, and are always in the pupils’ best interests.
Meanwhile, a “strong” school will have “highly effective leadership” that “leads to consistently high standards”, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Staff will feel valued, resulting in high morale and retention.
Curriculum
The toolkit says the curriculum will be causing concern if one or more of the following is true:
- The curriculum lacks ambition or coherence; leaders have not considered its content and sequencing sufficiently.
- It is narrow and therefore does not prepare pupils for adult life.
- It lacks ambition for disadvantaged pupils and/or pupils with SEND.
Schools will be categorised as “attention needed” if the curriculum is limited in some subjects or for some groups of pupils, and if leaders don’t have the expertise or time to design an appropriate curriculum.
The toolkit says that secure schools will have a curriculum that extends pupils’ language and vocabulary.
Inclusivity is promoted here, with schools being secure only if they make careful curriculum adaptations to avoid limiting expectations for disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND.
A strong school will have an expertly designed curriculum that paves the way for future learning and is appropriately adapted for varying pupil needs.
Developing teaching
Developing teaching will be causing concern in schools whose leaders have an inaccurate understanding of the quality of the teaching, are not doing enough to tackle weaknesses in children’s education and have too low expectations for all or some pupils.
Schools will be categorised as “attention needed” if leaders’ actions do not fix the underlying causes of weakness in teaching, if they take a “generic” approach to professional development or if CPD is not targeted well enough to have a sustained positive impact.
A “secure” school will have an accurate understanding of its teaching, including for pupils with SEND, and will have a CPD programme that builds and sustains an effective team of teachers and support staff.
Ofsted says “strong” schools will have leaders who have a nuanced understanding of the quality of teaching, with focused actions and clear milestones driving continuous improvements.
They will also have developed a highly effective professional learning culture, with teachers who are expert at translating content into activities and at adapting their teaching to meet pupils’ needs.
Achievement
Ofsted’s toolkit for reaching judgements on achievement is separated into two parts: achievement in national tests and examinations; and achievement across the curriculum.
The first of these ranks attainment, progress and the long-term disadvantage gap into five categories: well below average; below average; average; above average; and well above average.
On achievement across the curriculum, the toolkit shows Ofsted using the five categories, from “causing concern” to “exemplary”.
Schools are likely to be “causing concern” for achievement across the curriculum if leaders have a poor understanding of weaknesses in pupils’ achievement and have not effectively tackled them.
Ofsted said a “causing concern” finding will also be likely if pupils lack the foundations of communication, reading, writing or maths, and these gaps are not tackled effectively or quickly.
Schools will be categorised as “attention needed” if pupil attainment and progress is patchy and leaders are not effectively analysing why; or if pupils’ knowledge in communication, reading, writing or maths is not as secure as it should be.
“Secure” schools will have leaders who understand why pupils are making progress, as well as pupils who take pride in their work. Disadvantaged pupils will achieve at least as well as their peers, while pupils with SEND will achieve well against their targets.
Behaviour and attitudes
A school is likely to be “causing concern” if leaders do not take good action to support good behaviour, including helping staff manage behaviour.
This will also be the case if pupils’ lack of engagement contributes to reduced learning and/or disorderly classrooms.
Ofsted will also be likely to rate a school as “causing concern” if pupils show a lack of respect for each other and staff, or if there are frequent incidents of bullying or prejudiced behaviour and pupils have little confidence in the school’s ability to tackle this.
Schools will be categorised as “attention needed” if aspects of school life do not consistently reflect high expectations for behaviour, if staff are not confident in challenging poor behaviour, or if bullying is not dealt with quickly and efficiently.
This also applies to schools whose pupils are not engaged in lessons or lack motivation.
Schools described as “secure” will have leaders who teach pupils about the importance of empathy and respect while also showing those values themselves.
They will be active in identifying and solving problems such as bullying. Pupil behaviour will not typically disrupt classes, while staff will understand each pupil’s context when adapting expectations.
“Strong” schools will be defined by supportive relationships with pupils and their parents and carers; pupils will be positive about their learning, which they will show through self-motivation.
Attendance
Schools are said to be likely to be rated as “causing concern” if strategic leadership of attendance is lacking and barriers are not identified or tackled.
Ofsted said a “causing concern” rating is also likely to apply if attendance is consistently low for all pupils or for groups of pupils and shows little sign of sustained improvement, and if the school does not properly monitor pupils’ attendance at alternative provision or act when they are absent.
The toolkit describes schools that are “secure” on attendance as having leaders who make sure that admission and attendance registers are completed accurately.
It says that “secure” schools will also have effective day-to-day processes to follow up absences and leaders who will analyse attendance information closely, at whole-school level and for different groups, to identify patterns and trends.
Personal development and wellbeing
Ofsted’s toolkit says that a school is likely be rated as “causing concern” on personal development and wellbeing if a significant minority of pupils does not receive a wide, rich set of experiences.
Other findings that would lead to this judgement include disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND missing out on aspects of the school’s wider offer, or pupils not receiving the pastoral support they need.
The toolkit says that schools will be rated as “attention needed” if leaders do not check whether the school’s personal development programme has the impact they desire.
This includes whether all pupils are able to benefit from the wider opportunities available, and if the careers programme does not provide pupils with consistent, high-quality guidance and meaningful encounters with the world of work.
Schools rated as “strong” will have pupils participate enthusiastically in a wide range of artistic, musical, sporting and cultural activities.
Inclusion
Inclusion is a new area of focus proposed for this inspection framework.
Ofsted’s toolkit says that schools are likely to be “causing concern” on inclusion if, across the school’s work, leaders fail to meet pupils’ needs.
The toolkit also says that a school could be classed as “causing concern” if practices do not ensure an acceptable standard of education for disadvantaged pupils or those with SEND. Schools could also be given the lowest rating if leaders’ pupil premium strategy is ineffective.
Schools will merit a “secure” grading where “inclusive practices are secure, so that all pupils feel welcome, valued and a sense of belonging to their school and community”.
The guidance also says that “strong” schools will have leaders who have established a culture in which all staff are highly vigilant in identifying pupils who may face barriers to their learning or wellbeing.
The proposed toolkit for measuring inclusion does not mention exclusions.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is different from the other categories as it will be a binary judgement that is either met or not met.
Ofsted said: “This is because we expect providers to be both compliant with statutory requirements and instil an open and positive culture around safeguarding. Therefore, providers are either doing everything they can to keep children and learners safe, or they are not.”
The toolkit identifies findings that could lead to the watchdog reaching an outcome of “not met”.
These include leaders and/or those responsible for governance not ensuring a culture in which safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and pupils are kept safe and feel safe.
Ofsted would also reach a “not met” judgement if it found a closed culture and leaders who are not open to challenge and/or do not learn from issues or incidents.
The toolkit also says that the safeguarding standard would be found to be not met if leaders and those responsible for governance are not fulfilling their responsibilities in relation to reporting, referrals and record keeping, as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children and part four of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
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