What Is Ofsted Looking For From Your School’s SEND Provision?
School inspections now include an examination of SEND provision and pupil progress – so how should you prepare for when the inspectors come calling? Natalie Packer takes a closer look…
Waiting for Ofsted to visit can be a nerve wracking experience. We know that the ultimate goal of education isn’t about achieving an ‘outstanding’ grade – but we also know that the outcomes of an inspection involve high stakes.
Given the current Ofsted Inspection Framework’s focus on vulnerable pupils and those not making expected progress, as a SENCo you are an increasingly important contributor to the inspection process. So what’s the key to surviving your next inspection? Being prepared!
The Common Inspection Framework
As part of any inspection, Ofsted will expect to see evidence of pupil progress, a focus on outcomes and a rigorous approach to the monitoring and evaluation of any SEN support provided.
SEND code of practice
Under the 2014 SEND Code of Practice teachers need to demonstrate with confidence that their support and intervention for pupils with SEND promotes progress. This means that although you have the job of coordinating SEN provision across the school, your role in supporting others to meet their responsibilities is equally as important.
While Ofsted does not make a separate judgement about SEN provision, it is woven throughout the whole-school inspection. Judgements are made on four key areas:
- Effectiveness of leadership and management
- Quality of teaching, learning and assessment
- Personal development, behaviour and welfare
- Outcomes
Before making their final judgement, inspectors must evaluate the extent to which the education provided by the school meets the needs of the range of pupils, including those with SEND.
Ofsted’s school inspection handbook (tinyurl.com/TS-SIH) provides detailed guidance on what inspectors will look for under each of those four areas – but what will they be looking for more specifically in terms of SEN provision and progress?
TIP!
Before their visit, inspectors will look at the SEN information report on your school’s website. Make sure that it covers all the statutory requirements, is accessible, reflects your school and has been developed and reviewed with parents.
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Whether you are a senior or middle leader, inspectors will likely interview you as part of the process and want to see that you, other leaders and governors have clear vision and ambition for SEN and that strategic plans are in place.
They will also look for a culture of high expectations and aspirations for pupils with SEND. The school will need have implemented a broad and relevant curriculum for pupils with SEND, personalised where appropriate, and be closely monitoring the progress of pupil groups, including those at risk of underachievement.
The school’s SEN provision will need to be rigorously and accurately self-evaluated, and actions taken to improve inclusive high quality teaching, learning and assessment. There should also be evidence of the impact being made by SEN-related CPD, engagement with parents, carers and other stakeholders and the effectiveness of any arrangements made for safeguarding pupils
Ofsted will be keen to ensure that your governors are involved with SEN. Your link SEN governor will likely be interviewed to see if they are knowledgeable and challenge leaders, while other governors may be asked about the use of any pupil premium and SEN funding and whether it is making a difference to outcomes.
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment
Ofsted will be looking for evidence of inclusive, high quality teaching that meets the needs of all pupils. This means that teaching staff should have consistently high expectations of what all pupils can achieve, and understand the implications of SEN on learning.
There will also be requests for evidence of additional adults being effectively deployed to support pupil progress, and teaching that is structured and managed according to the needs of pupils. Your assessment information will need to have been gathered effectively, and used to plan appropriate teaching and learning strategies.
Pupils with SEN will need to understood how to improve as a result of feedback, and their parents made aware of how they are doing and what they need to improve. Finally, the school should be promoting equality of opportunity and recognition of diversity.
Personal development, behaviour and welfare
During the visit, inspectors will spend time observing and talking to pupils to determine their behaviour and attitudes towards learning. They will look for evidence that pupils with SEND are committed to learning, understand how to be a successful learner and feel safe at school.
They will also consider how pupils with SEND are represented in terms of attendance, punctuality, exclusions and bullying (and if over-represented, what the school is doing to address this), as well as their welfare and general safety.
Schools will also be examined on how how prepared their SEND pupils are to contribute to wider society and life in Britain, and how the school identifies, supports and tracks the progress of pupils with mental health needs or challenging behaviour.
Outcomes
Outcomes for pupils with SEND are key to informing the inspectors’ view of whether the school’s provision is successful. Crucially, Ofsted will consider the progress of pupils with SEND in relation to their starting points. These means schools must show how SEN identifications have led to additional provision being made, and led to progress improvements.
Based on RAISEonline data and any other performance information the school might be using, there should be evidence of the impact that interventions are having on closing any gaps in progress and attainment. pupils with SEND will need to have been set aspirational targets and be on track to meet them, and the same will apply to any pupils attending off-site alternative provision.
Getting yourself prepared
Establishing a rigorous and effective approach to SEN monitoring and self-evaluation means you will always be prepared for when Ofsted visit. The school’s SLT needs to be part of this, with any actions linked to the whole-school development plan.
Put simply, you need to be clear on what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and why. It’s also important to be clear as to what’s working well (and how you know this), what isn’t working as well, and how you plan to make improvements.
When preparing for an impending visit, make sure that teachers and support staff are well briefed on what inspectors will be looking for with regards to SEN. Remind all staff of their responsibilities towards pupils with SEN, and the importance of having a clear understanding of individual pupils’ support needs.
Discuss any particular issues the inspectors are likely to explore with your headteacher, and be sure to pre-empt any challenging questions you might be asked. If the inspector comments on something for which you’re unprepared, be honest and try to provide details of how it will be addressed as soon as possible.
All the right reasons
It is understandable to be anxious about your school’s inspection – but try and view the process as an opportunity to share your school’s successes and show how you are being proactive in further developing its SEND provision.
Once the inspection has concluded, revisit your improvement plan to ensure you have included any identified areas for development, and review these as part of your ongoing self-evaluation process. Positive results will emerge from embedding best practice over a number of years, and by ensuring the very best outcomes for all of your pupils, all of the time.
TIP!
The London Leadership Strategy has developed a SEND Review Guide which schools can use to audit and evaluate their SEND provision – download it for free here
