Agenda item

Martin Finch, Senior HMI, will intend in place of  Mike Sheridan, Regional Director London, Ofsted, on the new inspection framework, which is enclosed.

Martin Finch, Senior HMI, Ofsted, presented on the work of Ofsted , with reference to the scrutiny review on Exclusions and Alternative Provision (AP).

He commended the commission’s approach of getting input from a variety of stakeholders and said that it is by working together that we can solve issues, such as Exclusions.

He referred to the Timpson report on Exclusions and the vulnerable groups this work identified:

·  Educational needs

·  Children in need

·  Black Caribbean

·  Mixed race

·  Neglected children  / troubled families

·  Disadvantaged socio-economic background

The connections between Exclusion and serious youth violence are a concern. Exclusion is also related to lower academic attainment.

Martin Finch said that he attended the recent Southwark Conference on Inclusion, and spoke about the evidence of high Exclusion rates, but also that Special fixed term exclusions were very high in Southwark, and recommended that this is an area to focus on.

He spoke about the importance of schools, including PRUs, having an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, as well as ensuring that reading, writing and numeracy are well delivered - particularly reading, as not being able to read is very limiting.

Headteachers do have a right to exclude - and Ofsted to not want to undermine that, however there is a question around if schools are always following the guidance. Timpson identified this is an issue, and particularly around identifying underlying vulnerability. Timpson found too much variation and too many missed opportunities. Martine Finch stressed the importance of Fair Access panels.

He noted that Southwark has less than the average 3 and 4 year olds attending nursery schools, which can impact on latter educational attainment.

Managed moves can be a good strategy for a child to have a new start; 56 % were successful. It can be instructive to look at what worked and didn’t work and why.

The Inspector said that Ofsted are looking at potential off rolling by examining the census data from years 10 and 11.

The other area Ofsted is looking at is the rise in elective Home education and the reasons for this. Sometimes that can be a result of a break down in communication between home and school, coupled with schools suggesting home education - and in one case he came across writing a letter for illiterate parents, which is obviously unacceptable. 

He finished by saying good quality Alternative Provision can work well for children. Here it is important to identify why a PRU is being chosen and to ask the children about their experience.

The chair invited questions and the following points were made by the Inspector in response to members’ questions:

·  Knife crime can be a vicious cycle as Excluded children can become more vulnerable to Gangs. When Ofsted speak to school leaders they want to see if teachers understand the local factors that impact on safeguarding. Then Ofsted speak to children, and see if perceptions line up.

·  Examining ECHPs and ensuring that these are in place for special needs children, and include health and social care needs, can prevent exclusion. Plans ought to contain high aspirations and the child needs people who know their needs, and are working to address barriers. 

·  Ofsted have not done a breakdown of the special needs that are most likely to lead to Exclusion, such as complex needs or ADHD or dyslexia, however Timpson has done some work on this, as referred to earlier.

·  There is a link between regular attendance and attainment. Ofsted will look at trends and ask about steps taken to improve attendance. Sometimes Ofsted will also speak to those children not attending and find out the reasons.

·  The changing landscape and reduce leverage for councils could possibly be leading to more Exclusions. There is an increase in working together between councils, academies and Ofsted. Ofsted are presently shining a light on off-rolling, questioning schools doing targeted inspections.

·  Exclusions are going up nationally

·  The increase in home education may be linked to parents’ dissatisfaction with schools. Home education can be very good, when it is a positive choice made by parents, however for many families it may be the last resort. There are few statutory resources available for home education, usually only some signposting. This can come as a surprise to parents.

·  There are poor fixed term practices, and the use of isolation rooms can be indicative of poor practice

The chair and commission thanked Martin Finch for attending.