What is the purpose of the toolkits?
The toolkits are designed to ‘demystify’ inspection for school and college leaders and other education professionals by bringing to life both the evaluation areas and the judgements applied to practice in each area and in each kind of educational setting. They set out the criteria against which inspectors will make judgements about practice.
How many toolkits are there?
Currently, there are five toolkits, one for each of the following settings:
- Early years and childcare providers
- State-funded schools
- Non-association independent schools
- Further education and skills
- Initial teacher education
At present, primary, secondary and special schools, in both the independent and state sectors, are served by a single toolkit.
Are there any other key documents published by Ofsted that need to be considered alongside the toolkits?
Yes, each toolkit is to be used alongside an ‘Operating Guide’. This is designed to guide inspectors in their practice. Should a school take up the (newly introduced) option of appointing a link colleague (‘nominee’) to liaise with the inspector(s) during the course of an inspection, familiarisation with this document ought to be a part of their preparation.
Is there a shared format and are there common themes across all toolkits?
Yes. Each toolkit is set out in a similar format and composed of two parts, a narrative summary entitled “Gathering evidence about (title of evaluation area)” followed by a matrix entitled “Grading (title of evaluation area) that aligns the substantive evaluation areas for the educational setting concerned against the five grading areas common across most settings, akin to the model often used in the marking schemes for GCSE-style examinations.
How might leaders manage the breadth and depth of the toolkits?T
The toolkit for state-funded schools runs to 80 pages in length and includes guidance on each of nine evaluation areas (including safeguarding, early years and post-16 provision). While the detail may be helpful, it is also likely to prove daunting, especially in small schools where the headteacher is the sole leader or where the senior leadership team is small. Where there is the capacity to do so, navigating the toolkit should be a collaborative activity, with those leading in particular evaluation areas focusing on the relevant section in the toolkit.
How will inspectors use the toolkits?
In any given evaluation area, inspectors will seek to establish, in the first instance, whether practice is of sufficient quality to be awarded the ‘Secure Standard’ judgement and work outward from that, initially exploring the grades either side of the Secure Standard judgement (‘Needs Attention’ and ‘Strong Standard’) before subsequently exploring whether there is evidence to suggest either the need for ‘Urgent Improvement’ or the existence of ‘Exceptional Practice’.
Might the toolkits support self-evaluation activities in schools?
Yes, and a statement on the cover of each toolkit encourages this, noting that “this toolkit sets out the areas that will be evaluated and graded on inspections (and) can also be used by leaders to support self-evaluation and continuous improvement”. Thus, the toolkits are likely to be drawn on in the design of the self-evaluation practices and frameworks adopted by schools and colleges and by other educational and childcare settings inspected by Ofsted, but they should not be the sole drivers of these processes.
Should the toolkits inform classroom practice?
They are not designed to inform classroom practice or curricular content, and the NEU does not think they should be used for this purpose. However, the toolkits identify the qualities that practitioners will need to demonstrate if they are to achieve a particular judgement in a given evaluation area.
Are there any risks involved in the publication of a set of toolkits such as these?
Yes. There is a danger that, if adhered to too closely, the toolkits will overly steer school priorities and pedagogical practice, inhibit teacher creativity and constrain classroom experience. The NEU encourages schools to use inspection as a developmental exercise rather than one that should dictate practice and define what school effectiveness looks like.
Are there likely to be CPD opportunities for teachers and leaders getting to grips with the toolkits and the wider inspection framework?
Yes. Ofsted is offering a range of webinars about the new system .Recordings of the webinars available on Ofsted’s YouTube Channel.
NEU members can attend a wide range of NEU training events for reps and health and safety reps where our Ofsted Risk Assessment Guide is introduced.
Ofsted risk assessment guide
This risk assessment guide helps schools to mitigate the worst impacts of inspections.