Simplifying accountability
At last year’s NAHT conference the Secretary of State
said he would simplify the accountability system to
reduce undue pressure on school leaders, which can lead
to excessive workload that distracts teachers from
teaching.
Between January and March we consulted on proposals
which set out plans to create a new single, transparent
method for identifying schools eligible for improvement
support. These proposals removed the floor and coasting
standards and instead using Ofsted Requires Improvement
as the sole trigger to identify schools for support.
We received 267 responses to the consultation, the
majority of which supported the proposals:
- 82% of respondents supported the proposal to use
Ofsted Requires Improvement judgements to identify
schools eligible for these DfE offers of support.
- 82% of respondents agreed that we should remove
floor and coasting data standards.
So from September 2019, the DfE will only use Ofsted
Requires Improvement judgements as the sole trigger to
identify schools for a proactive, optional offer of
support.
The outcome of the consultation can be read in
full here and the
Secretary of State’s speech at the NAHT
conference here.
Call for evidence on High Needs
Over a quarter of a million pupils with the most
complex needs have personalised Education, Health and
Care Plans – following their introduction in 2014 to
make sure young people get the tailored support they
need to thrive.
Of those students with Education Health and Care Plans
almost 120,000 are continuing their education in
mainstream schools, while the number of pupils whose
needs are being met in special schools has gone up from
94,000 in 2014 to over 112,00 in 2018.
And whilst the the High Needs Budget has risen from
£5billion in 2013 to over £6billion today, we need to
make sure that we understand what is driving the costs
in the system.
Ahead of the Spending Review, Education Secretary
will ask schools and
colleges for their views on how to make funding
arrangements for pupils with special educational needs
and disabilities more effective.
The department will now work with all those involved in
the SEND system to hear directly about how it can work
better to improve outcomes for young people and whether
funding could be distributed more effectively.
The call for
evidence launches today and will run until
31st July.
