Changes to education inspection from September 2015

Details of the changes to how Ofsted will inspect early years provision, schools and further education and skills from September 2015.

Ofsted has launched far-reaching changes to the way it inspects early years provision, schools and further education and skills. These changes will come in to effect from September 2015 and include:

• the introduction of a common inspection framework for all early years settings on the Early Years Register, maintained schools and academies, non-association independent schools and further education and skills providers
• short inspections for maintained schools, academies and further education and skills providers that were judged good at their last full inspection. These short inspections will be conducted approximately every 3 years
• significant changes to Ofsted’s inspection workforce. From September 2015, Ofsted will contract directly with inspectors for maintained schools, academies, non-association independent schools and further education and skills inspections

From this page you can access the new common inspection framework and supporting handbooks. There is also additional information outlining the key changes including materials from Ofsted’s national launch conferences.

The changes are a result of the consultation ‘Better inspection for all’ and subsequent response.

New Inspection Documents

The new common inspection framework and handbooks for Ofsted inspectors come into effect from September 2015 for the inspection of schools, further education and skills and early years provision:

• The common inspection framework: education, skills and early years from September 2015
• School inspection handbook from September 2015
• School inspection handbook for inspections under Section 8 of the Education Act 2005 from September 2015
• Further education and skills inspection handbook from September 2015
• Early years inspection handbook from September 2015
• Non-association independent school inspection handbook from September 2015
• Inspecting safeguarding in early years, education and skills from September 2015

Explaining the changes

For a summary of changes, please read ‘The future of education inspection: understanding the changes’.

Source: Ofsted Website

Source: CASPAR

Source: CASPAR

Source: CASPAR

Government sets out timeline for decision on controversial proposals to jail social workers

The government is planning to launch its consultation on extending the crime of ‘wilful neglect’ to children’s social workers later this year

The government will make a decision by September 2016 on whether to go forward with proposals to jail social workers for up to five years for failing to protect children from sexual exploitation.

In its response to a report into the Rotherham sexual exploitation scandal, the government confirmed that a consultation on the controversial plan to extend the crime of wilful neglect to children’s social workers, teachers and councillors will be held this year and a final decision will be made by September 2016 at the latest. Wilful neglect is a crime that carries a maximum jail sentence of five years.

Failure to take action

“The consultation will seek views on sanctions for failure to take action on child abuse or neglect where it is a professional responsibility to do so,” the government said.

“‘Wilful neglect’ would impose criminal sanctions for those who are found guilty of deliberate, wilful or reckless neglect or mistreatment of children. It would cover inaction, concealment and/or deliberate cover ups and would ensure that those responsible for the very worst failures in care can be held accountable,” the response said.

The proposals received fierce criticism from the social work sector when they were announced in March, with an online petition opposing the announcement generating more than 11,000 supporters.

Source: Community Care

2015-16: Between April and July Cafcass received 4,092 care application. This figure is 14.3% (512 applications) higher than the same period last year and 12.7% (460 applications) higher when compared to the same period in 2013. The figure for July 2015 (1,111 applications) is the highest number of applications received by Cafcass in any individual month.

Source: Cafcass

https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/news/2015/august/july-2015-care-demand-statistics.aspx

Care applications hit an all-time high for the second month in a row in July.

Figures released today by Cafcass show that it received 1,111 new care applications in July, the highest monthly figure ever recorded. This tops the previous record of 1,104 applications that were made in June this year.

The figure is also 9% higher than 1,021 care applications made in July 2014. The latest rise has contributed to a 14.3% increase in care applications made between April and July 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

Source: CYPNow