Annual Report 2011/12 transcript follows below
John can
deliver training
or offer consultancy
in your school either in the UK or overseas at competitive prices.
Why send a teacher on a course when the trainer can
come to you?
John
can source INSET trainers and consultants for your school at very competitive prices. Get in touch: jmedlicott@hotmail.com
In
September 2012 Ofsted reached its 20th anniversary.
Twenty years ago, we did not know what the state of the nation was in terms of
the quality of its provision, because only very small numbers of schools and
colleges were inspected each year in a much less rigorous and transparent
system.
Our remit
has grown enormously. Ofsted inspects childminding and pre-school provision,
schools, learning and skills and children’s
social care. Through inspection we make a significant contribution to
improvement. We have come a long way, but we must not be complacent. Real
challenges lie ahead of us.
A child’s
chances of getting into a good or better school are twice as good in some local
authority areas than in others.
In the
case of learning and skills provision generally, too many young people take
courses leading to qualifications that have little currency with employers. In
their drive to operate as commercial enterprises, some learning and skills
providers have lost their vocational compass.
Our
schools are improving. The big question is, whether they are improving at a
rate to match the best countries across the world?
We know
through inspection what outstanding provision looks like. In schools and
colleges it’s excellent teaching, accurate assessment, the tracking of student
progress and strong governance and leadership.
Indeed,
it is heartening to note the growing extent to which the most capable leaders
and teachers are successfully helping other schools to raise their standards.
Teaching is a highly skilled and increasingly technical craft and schools
invest a lot of time in training, coaching and mentoring to help teachers to
become more and more effective.
We have a
significant number of good and better schools: schools that are focused on
their core purpose; schools that pupils want to attend and which parents are
pleased with. This is the prevailing picture.
In early
years and childcare provision, success lies in having well qualified early
years staff who really do understand the importance of learning development at
the foundation stage. There is an urgent need for well trained and qualified
people in domestic and non-domestic provision.
Over a
third of children in early years and childcare provision are not being prepared
sufficiently for school in communication, language and literacy.
Too many
young people enter adulthood with low literacy and numeracy skills because they
have not acquired basic skills in the early stages of education.
The
quality of teaching in the learning and skills providers inspected last year
was simply not good enough, particularly in general further education colleges.
The
learning and skills sector must be more determined to provide high quality
programmes of study, including reputable apprenticeships, particularly for the
16 to19 age range.
The
sector report on social care will be published in summer 2013 because the
inspection year for most social care provision runs from April to March.
At the
beginning of this year we introduced a number of radical framework changes
covering much of our social care inspection activity.
I won’t
reflect further on social care until we have a full year’s inspection outcomes.
But no one should doubt that I regard my responsibilities for social care
inspection, focusing as it does on outcomes for the most vulnerable and the
most disadvantaged of children, as amongst the most important duties that I
carry.
As Chief
Inspector, I can see at first-hand how our inspection system ensures much
greater accountability in those institutions we inspect.
We need to show where the needs are, and what
works best in meeting them. This Annual Report will contribute to our shared
determination as a country to achieve a world class education system