Correspondence

Education update for headteachers: autumn 2023

Published 24 November 2023

Applies to England

Message from the Deputy Director, Schools and Early Education

Welcome to Ofsted’s education update for headteachers and school leaders. This is an opportunity for us to keep you up to date with news at Ofsted and developments taking place in school inspection.

This is Amanda Spielman’s last term as Ofsted Chief Inspector after 7 years in the post. As you’re no doubt aware, Sir Martyn Oliver has been confirmed as the next Chief Inspector. Martyn is currently the chief executive of Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), a large multi-academy trust in the north of England. He will take up the post of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector on 1 January 2024, for a term of 5 years.

From 1 January, I will also be moving into a new post, as Ofsted’s National Director for Education. I will be replacing Chris Russell, who is retiring after 17 years at Ofsted. Chris has made an enormous contribution to us and to education and he will be greatly missed by all his colleagues. I look forward to working with Sir Martyn in the new year. As the end of autumn approaches, I would like to take this early opportunity to wish you well for the rest of the term and a happy Christmas and peaceful new year.

Best wishes
Lee Owston, His Majesty’s Inspector
Deputy Director, Schools and Early Education

Changes to post-inspection arrangements and Ofsted’s complaints handling process

On 24 November, we announced that we will implement all 4 changes proposed in our recent consultation on post-inspection arrangements and complaints. The changes are:

• enhanced on-site professional dialogue during inspections to help address any issues
• a new opportunity for providers to contact Ofsted the day after an inspection if they have unresolved concerns
• new arrangements for finalising reports and considering formal challenges to inspection outcomes
• direct escalation to the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO) and a periodic review of closed complaints using external representatives

The changes will come into effect in January 2024 and April 2024.

Read our press release and consultation response.

Ofsted Annual Report

Yesterday (23 November), we published our latest Ofsted Annual Report, which looks at the findings from inspections across early years, schools, further education and skills, and children’s social care over the academic year 2022/23.

This year’s report finds a steadily improving picture in all phases of education and children’s social care, as the recovery from the pandemic continues. However, it also highlights a troubling shift in behaviour, attendance and attitudes towards education.

You can read more in our press release.

Changes to how we inspect schools

Last June, we committed to making some changes to how we inspect and report on schools. In September, we updated our school inspection handbook and school monitoring handbook to reflect these changes. We also published a blog summarising the changes and a back-to-school webinar which you can watch below.

Ofsted’s school inspection update: autumn 2023 Ofsted webinar for schools

School inspection handbook: the role of trusts in school inspection 

Some of the recent updates to our handbooks are so that we can better reflect the role of a trust during a school inspection. 

These include: 

• new definitions clarifying what we mean by the terms ‘board of trustees’, ‘trustees’, board of governors’, ‘governors’, ‘leaders’ and ‘trust leaders’
• a new section about the approach to the trust on school inspection – inspectors will ensure that, through conversation with leaders in the school and the trust, they identify the correct individuals to meet during the course of the inspection
• clarification that the chair of the board of trustees may delegate some meetings to another trustee

See the summary of changes for a full list of the updates.

Early years ‘Best start in life’ research series

In September, we published the second part of our ‘Best start in life’ research series, which draws on a range of research and aims to support practitioners in raising the quality of early years education.

Our latest report focuses on the 0 to 4 age range. It looks at the 3 prime areas of learning in the early years foundation stage (EYFS). It highlights that frequent interactions between children and adults are fundamental to developing all young children’s knowledge in these areas. High-quality interactions are more likely to take place when:

• practitioners are aware of what children already know and can do, and respond accordingly
• practitioners know the curriculum they want children to learn in advance
• all children experience enough planned and incidental interactions with adults to learn what they need to know

The report emphasises that, by prioritising the prime areas in their curriculum thinking, leaders can ensure that children receive an early education that prepares them for what comes next.

Our final report in our series will be published later this year and will focus on the specific areas of the EYFS. 

Early years curriculum roadshows 

This year, our early years curriculum roadshows have focused on communication and language – an important area of learning that is integral to children’s all-round development. The roadshows have proved to be very popular and are a crucial part of our strategic priority to ensure that all children have the best start in life.

The next programme of early years curriculum roadshows will focus on the importance of prime areas of learning in the EYFS, reflecting the 2nd report from our ‘Best start in life’ research series.

If your school is interested in hosting a roadshow in the spring term, to help spread the messages from our early years research in your area, please get in touch with our Schools and Early Education Policy Team by email: [email protected]

Each roadshow typically accommodates between 50 to 200 people and include:

• a morning session for those who work in maintained nurseries and schools with pre-Reception-age children
• an afternoon session for those who work in registered early years settings, such as day nurseries and childminders

A reminder about endorsing materials and resources for schools in inspection reports 

Ofsted does not evaluate or endorse any specific resources for schools. This includes commercial schemes of work, whether these are subject-specific or to support pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and/or personal development.

Ofsted also does not evaluate or endorse particular awards or kite-marks.

A positive inspection result for an individual school should not be seen as an endorsement of any of the specific materials that school uses.

Inspecting careers provision in secondary schools  

In January 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) re-issued its careers guidance and access for education and training providers.

Particular points of note include: 

From September 2022, the DfE extended the legal entitlement to careers guidance to all secondary-age pupils. It now requires maintained schools, academies, special schools, alternative provision academies and pupil referral units in England to secure independent careers guidance for all pupils in Years 7 to 13.

Schools must meet the requirements of the provider access legislation. This requires them to plan for pupils in years 8 to 13 to hear from a range of education and training providers about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. They must also publish a policy describing how they will achieve this.

The legislation states specifically that, from January 2023, pupils should have at least 6 opportunities to engage with apprenticeship and training providers, spread across Years 8 to 13. The law also sets out the timing and content of these encounters. Further details are given in the statutory guidance.

There is no change to our usual inspection practice. If schools are not meeting their duties under the provider access legislation, this will be stated in their inspection report.