Archived decisions

        Appendix 1

          Report to PRC January 2003

          Ofsted Action Plan Monitoring Report

        Felicity Roe

        Head of Planning and Communications

        Ofsted Action Plan Activities and Success Criteria in Amber or Red status on 5

        January 2003.

        1.1. Rec 2c Amber: Success criteria - The performance of attached inspectors is judged partly by the progress (or maintained standards) of pupils in 'their' schools.

          The value added data that would enable this to happen is just beginning to become available. Judgements on schools where attached inspector visits are limited by Code of Practice restrictions are made through the categorisation process.

        1.2. Rec 2c Amber: Success criteria - The impact of attached inspectors in schools where they do the most work is clear.

          The value added data that would enable this to happen is just beginning to become available.

        1.3. Rec.2e. (2c) Amber: Through Hampshire Governor Representative Group and County Governor Forum work with governors to increase the awareness of the value of governor investment in headteacher training and development. At the level of individual appointments, contact has been made , and discussion have taken place with secondary chairs of governors to secure their commitment to support of the LEA's revised induction and purchased services for newly appointed secondary headteachers. Further work is needed, however, to raise awareness generally.

        1.4. Rec. 4b. (2f) Amber: Target to have 2 EBD schools accredited to provide outreach services to mainstream and other special schools by December 2002.

          The six schools concerned are developing their internal systems and will be encouraged to apply for accreditation when they are ready.

        1.5. Rec 4b. (2g) Amber: Co-ordinate outreach from special schools with other measures set out within the Behaviour Support Action Plan.

          At present only one special school is providing outreach, in Andover, as part of the multi-agency behaviour support initiative. Work on this is vital as part of progress towards accreditation.

        1.6. Rec 4b. Amber: Success criteria - 25% reduction per year (for two years) in number of weeks out of school for emotionally vulnerable pupils from September 2002.

          A baseline is being developed from 2002/3. These are challenging targets and will need considerable assistance from the Health Authorities to enable them to be achieved.

        1.7. Rec 5b Amber: Success criteria - All education welfare officers have access to support staff time on a ratio of four education welfare officers to one member of the support staff.

          Not yet achieved owing to budgetary constraints, however administrative support has been increased through vacancy management. The Best Value review is also considering this.

        1.8. Rec 5c: Amber: Success criteria - Reduction in total and unauthorised absences from school.

          There has been a national increase in absence in the last year, and Hampshire has followed that trend. Our position in relation to statistical neighbours has slipped slightly in the 2001/2002 data. The EWS is focussing on schools with higher than average levels of absence and supporting school action plans.

        1.9. Rec 5f: (1b) Amber: In the light of 1a), review criteria and procedures to ensure consistent triggers for early consultation, identification, assessment and intervention, using available pupil and school related data. Ensure this also contains clear guidance for schools about who to contact to make referrals.

          This is a complex task, and is taking longer than initially anticipated due to cultural and technical issues. The end date has been revised from Jan 2002 to Jan 2004.

          New criteria and procedures are now out in draft form and being piloted in one area. Schools have had clear guidance about who to contact to make referrals. The achievement of greater consistency in the triggers has been held up by delays in developing IT systems to link to the common pupil record database. Systems are currently based around area databases and this will take some time to resolve.

        1.10. Rec. 5g. Red: Success criteria - Fewer children permanently excluded from schools, in line with existing Hampshire targets. Following 5 years of year-on-year reductions in permanent exclusions in Hampshire, figures rose (by 50%) in 2001/02. This reflects a rise nationally linked to changes to legislation and guidance by central government, and to recruitment and retention of staff issues

        1.11. Rec 5h. (m) Amber: Work with attached inspectors to review ethnic minority performance in the Bilingual Learners Support Service 'Achievement Project' schools.

          This work has been delayed, mainly because national PLASC data has not been available. This data will be available in 2003, and will enable closer workings with Standards and Improvement Branch to establish performance of ethnic minority pupils in individual schools.

        1.12. Rec 5h. (n) Amber: Establish processes for attached inspectors to monitor ethnic minority and traveller performance in all schools. This will be achieved through development of the electronic school file system.

          Regular reporting on the electronic school improvement file should be established by April 2003. The further developments of PLASC data etc outlined above should allow this work to be taken forward in 2003 with attached inspectors.