Ofsted schools framework ‘not fit’ for children in care
Fiona Simpson
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Ofsted’s school inspections framework is “not fit for purpose” when it comes to vulnerable children, the chair of the National Association of Virtual School Headteachers (NAVSH) has said.
Speaking at a meeting of the education select committee as part of its inquiry into children’s homes, Patrick Ward, who is also head of Lewisham Virtual School, in south-east London, said NVASH was calling on the inspectorate to change its education inspection framework to incorporate the way schools work with children in care.
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“NAVSH’s ask to Ofsted on this is that if you’re not good or outstanding for vulnerable learners, then you’re not good or outstanding. You can’t possibly be an outstanding school if you’re not good or outstanding for those young people.
“That would change the framework overnight, that would change how these young people are prioritised and perceived overnight,” he said.
Responding to a question from chair of the education select committee Robert Halfon MP, Ward went on to say that he believed schools who removed children from their books informally, known as off-rolling, “discriminate” against children in care because “they believe they will underachieve”.
The same belief also applies to school admissions for children in care, especially those applying to schools judged “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted, Ward said.
“If you look at how many young people in care are refused admission to schools - local authorities have to go through a process sometimes involving a statutory direction to gain access to a school.
“That’s a risk-free process for a school to enter into, because even if they’re completely unjustified in not accepting an admission, the worst thing that can happen is they ultimately have to take the young person so there’s no sanction for them. That is also something Ofsted could look at.
“The best schools for young people are going to be the ones that will support them in the most practical way - have they got trauma informed practice? Are teachers aware of what it’s like to be in care?"
Victoria Langer, interim chief executive at charity Become, added: “Just being an outstanding or good school doesn’t mean you’re actually set up to support children in care and children that are living in children’s homes.”
The committee also heard concerns from Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, who cited figures from the Association of Directors of Children’s Services showing there had been a 76 per cent rise in children on child protection plans and 34 per cent increase in the number of children in care between 2008 and 2020.
“From The Children’s Society’s perspective, we cannot disconnect that from the 50 per cent cut in early intervention spending over the last decade," Russell said.
“We’ve seen a cut of £3.6bn down to £1.8m - what that means in real terms is supporting families with substance abuse issues, it’s youth provision, it’s youth clubs, it’s family hubs and family support. It’s the sort of advice system that could help families who don’t know how to navigate the system to ensure those children get that help much earlier on.”
He called for the government to increase spending on early intervention at next week’s Comprehensive Spending Review.
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “Our school inspections look at the quality of education provided for all children and specifically the most disadvantaged pupils. If a school isn’t serving vulnerable pupils well, we will reflect this in our overall judgement. Ofsted has no power to judge schools on their admissions process.
"However, where we find evidence of off-rolling, we will state this clearly and it will affect the school’s final grade. We also look closely at how well children in care are supported to attend school and make good educational progress when we inspect local authority children’s services and other social care settings, such as children’s homes and fostering agencies.”