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A new approach to evaluating the work of multi-academy trusts

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 13 December 2018 - Categories: inspection, MATs, schools
Sean Harford

...steps to enhance inspectors’ knowledge of MAT structures and operations, and to improve the quality of reporting. We have brought on board Ofsted Inspectors, who are MAT leaders, to act...

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Child neglect: how are schools addressing the issue?

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 26 September 2018 - Categories: schools, social care
Sean Harford

Sean Harford, National Director, Education on the findings of Ofsted's report, 'Growing up neglected'.

Read more of Child neglect: how are schools addressing the issue? - 4 comments

Deprivation, ethnicity and school inspection judgements

Posted by: Jason Bradbury and Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 22 June 2018 - Categories: data and Insight, leadership, schools

...moved on considerably in schools across the country in the last decade and a half since I started inspecting. While in the early 2000s chair-chucking in schools in special measures...

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Assessment – what are inspectors looking at?

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 23 April 2018 - Categories: inspection, schools

Sean Harford, HMI, National Director, Education, puts assessment into perspective.

Read more of Assessment – what are inspectors looking at? - 10 comments

What’s an inspection judgement based upon?

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 20 March 2018 - Categories: inspection
Pupils with chemistry experiment

...asking for documents and information in a way that the handbook says we don’t need. I want to stress that the vast majority of our inspections run smoothly and without...

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Ofsted’s findings about the school curriculum

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 11 October 2017 - Categories: curriculum, inspection, research and evaluation, schools
Sean Harford

Sean Harford, National Director, Education, on Ofsted's research programme about the school curriculum and the preliminary findings so far.

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Summer round-up

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 29 August 2017 - Categories: curriculum

...we will look at whether we need to consider curriculum more during inspection; this will feed into the new inspection framework we are developing for September 2019. Our initial survey...

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Changing our approach to short inspections: your views wanted

Posted by: Sean Harford, National Director, Education, Posted on: 27 June 2017 - Categories: inspection, schools
Sean Harford

...as high-stakes as a full inspection. Indeed, almost 80% of respondents to a survey last year told us they were a welcome and positive change. So we are very keen...

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About this blog

This blog is for education professionals who want to know more about how Ofsted inspects schools, initial teacher education, local services for children and young people with SEND, and the further education and skills sector.

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