We welcome changes to the inspection system in England
The Nuffield Foundation welcomes Ofsted’s response to the Big Listen consultation, which will lead to reform of the inspection system in England.
In our submission to the Big Listen we drew on a range of Nuffield-funded research, including the Principles of Care work by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. We are pleased to see that Ofsted has taken an evidence-based approach. The proposed ‘inclusion’ criteria will help to ensure that children and young people from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds get the support they need to thrive.
We look forward to working with Ofsted as part of their consultation on a refreshed inspection framework, with a focus on ensuring that the system works better for everyone including school leaders, teachers and parents. In particular, we welcome Ofsted’s acknowledgement that they need to account more effectively for the challenging contexts that some schools are operating in.
FE and skills framework needs to adapt
We are pleased that Ofsted recognises the need to adapt the inspection framework for FE and skills, to better address the distinctive needs of this sector. Given the current flux in Post-16 qualifications, the role of Ofsted will be increasingly important in ensuring high-quality and consistent provision across the full range of Post-16 pathways.
Our response also highlighted concerns with Ofsted’s current reporting process. In implementing a report card, Ofsted must ensure the new system meaningfully supports schools’ improvement and parent choice.
This has been an important and timely exercise and we welcome Ofsted’s commitment to seeking ideas for improvement and taking meaningful action. Our submission to the Big Listen consultation was grounded in the research we fund, and this evidence provided us with expert insight to help address some of the challenges that the consultation was seeking to resolve. We will continue to engage with Ofsted as they implement its findings and respond to the recommendations.Josh Hillman, Director of Education
We welcome the announcement that single-word judgements of children’s social care services will end. There is now an opportunity to set out a more positive description of the support that children should expect from children’s services. We have published five principles of care for children with complex needs, and these could be adapted to apply to the care of all children.Lisa Harker, Director of The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory
Nuffield staff join expert reference groups
Josh and Lisa are members of two new Ofsted external reference groups. Josh serves on the Insights and Evidence (education) group, and Lisa sits on the Insights and Evidence (social care) group. The groups will provide independent advice, and challenge and share ideas and feedback, including on its inspection frameworks.
