Setting out its plans for the summer term, the inspectorate also said that it would also carry out on-site ‘lighter-touch’ inspection visits in schools and further education providers during the summer term, but would not resume a full programme of graded inspections until September.
Unlike ‘full’ inspections, these visits will allow inspectors to assess how well schools and FES providers are educating their learners and keeping them safe, but they will not result in a grade.
However, where the evidence strongly suggests that a school’s current grade is no longer a fair reflection of its work – for example where the school is graded ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ but has clearly improved – inspectors will be able to convert to a full, graded inspection either immediately or later in the term. As always, Ofsted will do the same if a visit to a higher-graded school highlights a significant cause for concern.
Ofsted is currently piloting some limited changes to inspection methods to take account of the challenges raised by Covid-19. An updated set of inspection handbooks with full details of these changes will be published after the Easter break. Ofsted is also working closely with Sir Kevan Collins on how its work can support the longer term education recovery.
In early years settings, Ofsted said it would also continue to carry out urgent inspections where there are significant concerns about a provider.
Any graded inspections carried out in the summer term will maintain the four key Education Inspection Framework (EIF) judgements, but with extra flexibility in recognition of current contexts.
All inspection activity will typically be on-site. Before the inspection, providers and inspectors will agree safety measures to ensure the inspection is Covid-19 secure. Inspectors will also take a lateral flow test before arriving at the setting.
Commenting, Ofsted chief inspector, Amanda Spielman said, ‘Inspections play an important role. They look at the quality of education received by children, they provide information to parents and the Government, and they help headteachers identify areas for improvement.
‘Our inspections this summer will recognise the current challenges facing schools and help support the catch-up of all pupils. We will not grade schools before the autumn - unless we see significant improvement, or we identify significant concerns. This continues our step-by-step approach towards a full programme of graded inspections in the autumn.’
Schools
Monitoring inspections will begin from 4 May, under the EIF. These will not result in a change of grade.
Where inspectors find evidence that an inadequate school has improved, they can convert the monitoring visit to a full inspection, which would be graded. Where schools judged requires improvement on two or more consecutive occasions are found to have improved, inspectors will recommend that a full inspection is carried out before the end of the summer term.
Ofsted will also inspect ‘good’ schools that, due to the pandemic, have not had an inspection within the statutory five-year window.
Ofsted will also inspect some ‘outstanding’ schools that request an inspection, prioritising those that have gone the longest without an inspection.
Other than where significant concerns are raised, Ofsted will not inspect secondary schools during the first half of the summer term, to allow them to focus on teacher-assessed grades.
Ofsted will continue to prioritise emergency inspections of all schools where significant concerns are raised.
Further education providers
New provider monitoring visits (NPMVs) will continue throughout the summer term. And Ofsted will continue to conduct emergency monitoring visits or full inspections of providers where serious concerns are identified.
From 4 May, monitoring visits to requires improvement and inadequate providers will also resume, where appropriate.
Full EIF inspections of new providers that have had an NPMV will also begin in the summer term.
Union response
Teaching unions have criticised the plans to resume inspections so soon.
Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘It is widely accepted that education recovery is not a one-term effort, and so we believe that by September, Ofsted inspections will still be an unnecessary pressure on staff who must be allowed to concentrate on this vital work.
‘Worse, inspections would constitute a hindrance, particularly as the intention is to revert to using the Education Inspection Framework. We have long warned that this framework is extremely difficult for primary schools and will force more schools to take their focus away from the needs of the children they teach and towards a rigid view of curriculum. It is all too clear that in its efforts to appear relevant, Ofsted will simply redouble the negative consequences of inspections on teacher and school leader workload.’