Ofsted announce that there will be a new ‘Common Inspection Framework’ for all early years settings, schools and academies.
Providers will be given information in the summer-term as to what they can expect to happen what the changes the new framework will bring. The frameworks target is to make the performance of childcare more comparable.
The Common Inspection Framework will continue to produce a consistent approach to Ofsted inspections. It will have various focus point which will help keep young people safe. It will control and monitor the breadth of curriculums in schools. It will track the quality of early learning and ensure the courses and training for further education and skills are relevant.
National director of schools, Sean Harford, comments “We are determined to recruit and retain inspectors of the highest calibre to carry out inspections using the new framework. We have tightened up our selection criteria and quality assurance procedures. All contracted Ofsted Inspectors will have to go through a stringent assessment process and assessed training, with clear performance measures in place”.
The overall aim of this change is to improve the standards of education in England. This new Common Inspection framework and change in inspections is a way to encourage this change to happen.
Pre-school Learning Alliance chief executive, Neil Leitch, responded by saying: “We welcome the announcement of a new common inspection framework and hope that this change will lead to a fairer and more consistent approach to inspections across the education system.
However, there may still be some issues as the government needs to realise they can not use a ‘one size fits all’ approach as every setting has different qualities and need different approaches. The criteria will mean different things for schools than they would for an early years setting, therefore the judgement must be taken seriously and a process set in stone to overcome this problem.
Inspectors therefore need to be fully trained and up to date with the new Common Inspection framework. It is a step in the right direction and will allow fairness within the early years settings.
Claire Schofield, director of membership, policy and communications at NDNA, also comments: “We have been calling for a level playing field with schools on notice for private and voluntary sector nurseries for several years, so we welcome Ofsted’s commitment that it will align notice.
Settings will be keen to see if Ofsted make the decision to make the notice of Ofsted inspections the same for all schools and early years settings.