PSHE and OFSTED Framework

PSHE education and the new Ofsted Inspection Framework January 2012

Behaviour and safety,

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural

and

PSHE education

development: a context for

This briefing is intended for PSHE education co-ordinators, subject leads, teachers, school leaders and governors. There will be a stronger emphasis on lessons under the new arrangements for inspection. It is therefore likely that PSHE education lessons will be inspected. Additionally there will be 60 subject inspections annually of PSHE education by Ofsted. Teachers also need to be aware of the strong focus upon pupils’ literacy capability.

The revised Ofsted Framework and Evaluation Schedules for the inspection of maintained schools and academies respectively set out the general principles, guidance and grade descriptors that will be used by inspectors as they make judgements and report under section 5 of the Education Act from January 2012.

Inspection will focus on four key judgements:

• • • •

Achievement.

Quality of teaching.

Behaviour and safety of pupils.

Quality of leadership and management.

Together with spiritual, moral, social and cultural education (SMSC) these will contribute to the judgement about the Overall Effectiveness of the school.

Int r o d u c t i o n PSHE education teaching is expected to meet the same high standards required by Ofsted of all subjects and teaching. Teachers must have consistently high expectations of all pupils, draw on excellent subject

knowledge, plan astutely, set challenging tasks based upon an accurate assessment of pupils’ prior skills, knowledge and understanding, and use well judged and imaginative teaching strategies...

The Framework is clear in stating that:

adults, including freedom from bullying and harassment, cyber bullying and prejudice-based bullying. The focus on behaviour will also include pupils’ attitudes to learning, their conduct in lessons and around school.

Inspections must consider:

• Pupils’ ability to assess and manage risk appropriately and keep themselves safe. Risk includes those risks associated with extremism, new technology, substance misuse, knives and gangs, relationships (including sexual relationships) water, fire, roads and railways.

• Pupils’ behaviour towards, and respect for, other young people and

• Whether the school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that

• The most important role of teaching is to raise achievement.

• Teaching has an important role in promoting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

www.pshe-association.org.uk

promotes their good behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

• Whether the school engages with parents in supporting pupil achievement, behaviour and safety

P S H E e d u c a t ion A well-planned, coherent and effective PSHE education programme will provide concrete evidence of the school’s provision in promoting pupils’ behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

It may also provide evidence of the impact of this on achievement and on developing and applying a wide range of skills that will prepare pupils for the next stage in their education or employment drawing on excellent subject knowledge, promoting resilience, confidence and independence.

Inspection will focus upon pupils’ participation in lessons; the development of behaviour for learning skills; and the contribution to literacy though speaking and listening, being able to articulate thinking, reading writing and communicating. The development of vocabulary, understanding text and dialogue and the ability to write descriptively will be judged as important in PSHE education too.

Therefore, it follows that in PSHE education pupils will need opportunities to apply their phonic knowledge in purposeful reading and writing activities; to speak and to listen; to write for audiences using correct grammar and spelling; and produce pieces of extended writing.

In the guidance there is much of relevance to the PSHE education teacher. www.psh e-association.org.uk

and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

In respect of Overall Effectiveness inspections must consider: • How well the school provides positive experiences for all pupils

by promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through planned and coherent opportunities in the curriculum and through interactions with teachers and other adults.

B eh aviou r an d sa fety of pupi ls Inspectors will evaluate the behaviour and safety of pupils and their behaviour towards, and respect for, other young people and adults.

This includes: • Freedom from bullying and harassment that may include cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to special educational need, sexual orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or disability, and:

An effective PSHE education curriculum will provide evidence of the above through developing an understanding of: Health: • How to maintain physical, mental and emotional health including sexual health.

• Understand the consequences of teenage pregnancy and parenthood.

• How to manage risks to health and to stay safe (including online safety).

• Pupils’ ability to assess and manage risk and keep themselves safe.

• How to make informed choices about health matters including drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and maintaining a balanced diet.

In order to be judged outstanding (Grade 1):

• How to respond in an emergency including administering first aid.

• Pupils will be acutely aware of different forms of bullying and actively try to prevent it from occurring.

• The role and influence of the media on lifestyle.

• The school will have an active and highly effective approach to identifying and tackling bullying.

• How to develop and maintain a variety of healthy relationships, within a range of social/cultural contexts and to develop parenting skills.

• All groups of pupils feel safe at school all time.

• Pupils understand very clearly what constitutes unsafe situations and are highly aware of how to keep themselves and others safe.

Behaviour and safety is likely to be judged inadequate (Grade 4) if pupils have little confidence in the school’s ability to address bullying successfully and pupils, or specific groups of pupils, do not feel safe.

Relationships:

• How to deal with risky or negative relationships including all forms of bullying and abuse, sexual and other violence and including sexual consent.

• Managing loss including bereavement, separation and divorce.

• How to respect equality and be a productive member of a diverse community.

Careers and the world of work: • How to manage transition.

• How to make informed choices and be enterprising and ambitious.

• How to develop employability, team working and leadership skills and develop flexibility and resilience.

• The economic and business environment.

Personal finance: • Where money comes from and how to manage personal money (understanding its link with public finance).

• Budgeting, saving and borrowing and managing debt.

• Managing financial risk (both positive and negative) including its relationship to gambling.

• How our personal financial choices can affect others and about our rights and responsibilities as consumers.

Knowledge is interlinked and knowledge from one area may be pertinent to others.

School policies will include those relating to PSHE education, pastoral

care, behaviour and discipline, safeguarding, anti-bullying, drugs, sex and relationships education, work experience, careers and work related learning, anti-racism, and equal opportunities including disability rights, health and safety.

The value of an effective pupil voice will be demonstrated though a range of activities including a school/student council which engages fully with pupils of all ages and is taken seriously by the leadership and management at the school.

Q u a l i t y o f l e aders hip a nd m an a gement Inspectors will evaluate the extent to which leaders and managers at all levels (and where relevant governors): • Provide a broad balanced curriculum meeting the needs of all pupils.

• Promote their good behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

• Engage with parents and carers in supporting pupils’ achievement, behaviour and safety and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

• Ensure that all pupils are safe.

O u t s t a n d i n g lea dership an d ma nagement To be judged outstanding for leadership and management (Grade 1) the school’s curriculum must: • Provide highly positive, memorable experiences and rich opportunities for high quality learning.

Leadership and management is likely to be inadequate (Grade 4) if the curriculum fails to meet the needs of pupils and the school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils give serious cause for concern.

• Has strategies and procedures in place for helping pupils prepare for life in modern democratic Britain and a global society.

• Have a very positive impact on all pupils’ behaviour and safety and contribute well to pupils’ achievement and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

An effective PSHE education curriculum will address the above through leadership and management which:

• Manages safeguarding arrangements so that all pupils are safe.

• Demonstrate the extent to which leaders engage with parents and carers, and ensure that all pupils are safe.

• Ensures a broad and balanced curriculum which provides PSHE education for all pupils that meets their need.

• Works in partnership with external agencies and the community, including business.

• Demonstrates how well safe practices and a culture of safety are promoted through the curriculum (PSHE education should be central to this). www.pshe-associati on.org.uk

O ve r a l l e f fe ctiveness Inspectors take account of the four key judgments and in addition must consider:

that will ensure they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment,

• How well the school promotes all pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through planned and coherent opportunities in the curriculum, and

and the quality of teaching where teachers: • have consistently high expectations of all pupils;

how well pupils:

• draw on excellent subject knowledge;

• Develop and apply an understanding of right and wrong in their school life and life outside school.

• plan astutely, set challenging tasks based upon an accurate assessment of pupils’ prior skills, knowledge and understanding;

• Take part in a range of activities requiring social skills.

• Gain a well-informed understanding of the options and challenges facing them as they move through the school and on to the next stage of their education and training.

• use well judged and imaginative teaching strategies,

• Develop the skills and attitudes to enable them to participate fully and positively in democratic modern Britain.

• teachers systematically check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons;

A school is likely to be judged outstanding (Grade 1) if the school’s thoughtful and wide ranging promotion of the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development enables them to thrive in a supportive, highly cohesive learning community. Consequently, pupils and groups of pupils have excellent experiences at school, ensuring that they are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment.

Overall Effectiveness will take account of: The achievement of pupils at the school where pupils will develop and apply a wide range of skills to great effect . . .

and where:

• marking and constructive feedback from teachers and pupils is frequent and of a consistently high quality.

A school’s Overall Effectiveness will be judged inadequate (Grade 4) if behaviour and safety are inadequate or there are important weaknesses in the school’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development resulting in a poor climate for learning and a school community that lacks cohesion.

For achievement this will be demonstrated through pupils’ poor communication skills not being sufficient for the next stage of education or training, and for teaching: teachers not having sufficiently high expectations.

Se l f - e va l u a t i on Ofsted no longer provides an on-line self-evaluation form (SEF) or any associated guidance. Schools are no longer expected to complete a SEF, though inspectors will take account of any summary of self-evaluation evidence on anything the school chooses to present. Many schools are re-organising their evaluation to mirror the four Ofsted judgements. A self-evaluation of PSHE education (available here from the PSHE Association website: http://bit.ly/rMFbe3) can provide much evidence for the provision for achievement; quality of teaching; behaviour and safety; as well as evidence of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development as each of these relates to the PSHE education curriculum in schools. However, it is important to note that PSHE education will not be the sole provision in school for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils or their personal development overall.

Ofsted – the evaluation schedule for the inspection of maintained schools and academies from January 2012: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/evaluation-schedule-for-inspection-of-maintained-schools-and-academies-january-2012 Ofsted – supplementary subject specific guidance for PSHE education: http://www.pshe-association.org.uk/uploads/media/17/7604.pdf www.psh e-association.org.uk