Contact: Gerry Price, Strategic School Improvement Manager, Tel 02380 816127 [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report summarises the outcomes of Ofsted inspections of schools that took place during the Spring Term 2006. It also outlines some changes to the inspection arrangements for the most successful schools. During the term there were 27 inspections, six schools were judged to be outstanding, a similar proportion to the previous term.

1.2 This report to the panel supports Aim 1 of the Corporate Strategy (maximizing life opportunities) and the achievement of the 5 outcomes of the Children Act 2004. The quality of schools is clearly closely related to the educational achievement of pupils, and those achievements fundamentally affect each person's life chances. The purpose of this report is to inform Elected Members of the work being done to effect improvement in schools.

2 Changes to the inspection regime

2.1 Early in the new year, Ofsted announced its intention to adjust the arrangements for school inspections introduced the previous September. A key element of this is the introduction of a proportionate inspection programme. This will lead to even lighter touch inspections for the most successful schools and earlier follow up in the case of schools whose provision has been judged to be satisfactory.

2.2 Lighter touch inspections have already begun, with those at St Peter's RC Primary School, Andover, Fair Oak Junior School and Wildern School, Hedge End all resulting in glowing reports, in each case with every aspect of the school's working being judged outstanding

3 Accuracy and reliability

3.1 In most cases, inspections are run well and judgements result from well-marshalled evidence. There are, however, a few exceptions where the conduct of the inspection is not good enough or judgements appear to the school, and to officers, to be perverse. There is some evidence that, where the head and governors have the stamina to persist with a complaint, inappropriate judgements are changed. In February, Hounsdown School learned that it had been regraded as an outstanding school, some five months after the inspection team judged it to be only good because a handful of girls in one year made less progress than expected. The inspection of Vigo Junior School in March is currently the subject of a complaint by the head and governors. The local authority (LA) agrees with their concerns about the conduct of the inspection.

4 Inspections in the Spring Term 2006

4.1 The complete list of schools inspected in the spring term is as follows:-

5 Legal implications

5.1 None.

6 Financial implications

6.1 The more stringent inspection regime is leading to an increase in the number of schools judged to be inadequate and, therefore, requiring additional intensive support from the local authority. If this trend continues there will be implications for resourcing of the `front-line' support services working with these schools.

7 Personnel implications

7.1 None

8 Impact assessment

8.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

9 Crime prevention issues

9.1 None

Recommendation

1 That this report be noted.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

None