Behaviour and safety of pupils is one of the four things – teaching being another – that schools inspectors must pay ‘particular’ attention to. That is according to a draft framework from the school inspection body.
According to the document, the inspectors will give more consideration to parents, pupils and staff evidence. The document from the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) stresses that ‘inspection will be refocused on the things that really matter’. This is in the light of the 2011 Education Bill, which among other things proposed to give teachers more power to search and confiscate for weapons and other prohibited items in schools, a topic last featured in the August issue of Professional Security. Going into slightly more detail on what behaviour and safety the inspectors will look for, the document spoke of looking at ‘pupils’ ability to assess and manage risk appropriately and to keep themselves safe’, including from bullying (and cyber-bullying); pupils’ attendance and punctuality at school and in lessons; and how well the school ensures the ‘systematic and consistent management of behaviour’. Safety does not end there: inspectors also have to look at school leadership and management, and that includes ‘ensuring that all pupils are safe’.
Launching the new inspection arrangements, Miriam Rosen HMCI said: “At this time of change in the education sector, Ofsted inspections have a vital role to play in ensuring school accountability. It is increasingly important that we focus on the key aspects of schools’ work and make sure we use our resources where they have the most impact. That is why we have streamlined our inspection process to focus on what matters most – to pupils, parents and schools. Inspectors will spend even more time in the classroom observing teaching and learning, with a renewed emphasis on reading and literacy skills. Behaviour and how safe children feel will also be closely scrutinised.”
To read the 26-page framework, visit the Ofsted website –
