The role of governance in self assessment

1
The role of governance in self assessment

• Natspec governance conference
• April 20th
• With thanks to Sue Preece HMI, Ofsted

2
Objectives of the session

• To inform participants about
• the Common Inspection Framework (CIF)
• use of the Ofsted inspection handbook
• features of good self-assessment
• role of governors in self-assessment

3
New Common Inspection Framework 2009

• a strengthened approach to judging capacity to
  improve
• a greater focus on how colleges meet users' needs
  
• a greater focus on learning through teaching
  assessment
• grades for equality and diversity, safeguarding
  and value for money that will contribute to the
  judgement on leadership and management
• more emphasis on Every Child Matters as outcomes
• an increased focus on the progress made by
  different groups
• the introduction of limiting judgements
  safeguarding, equality diversity and capacity
  to improve

4
Ofsted inspection handbook

• C2. How effectively do governors and supervisory
  bodies provide leadership, direction and
  challenge?
• Inspectors will take into account
• how well governors monitor the quality of learner
  experiences and their outcomes
• how effectively governors monitor financial
  management and health, including value for money
• procedures to ensure the accountability of the
  chief executive and senior post holders, or
  equivalent

5
Ofsted inspection handbook

• C2. How effectively do governors and supervisory
  bodies provide leadership, direction and
  challenge?
• Inspectors will take into account
• procedures for governors to assess and monitor
  risk
• how well governors ensure that legislative
  requirements are fulfilled, such as those for
  disability, safeguarding, and health and safety.

6
Self-assessment

• SARs provide Ofsted inspectors with crucial
  evidence to support judgements about the
• CIFs main aspects
• contributory grades for equality and diversity
  and safeguarding
• capacity to improve.
• Inspectors will use the report to assess risk,
  monitor standards and plan for inspection.
• During inspection, findings will be compared with
  those in the providers self-assessment report,
  and a conclusion reached on the accuracy of those
  judgements.

7
The best providers

• involve all staff, and where possible learners,
  to produce an honest and objective report
• relate the report to their vision
• demonstrate how they meet learners needs
• use the process to find out about their provision
  in order to make significant improvements
• address all aspects in the CIF and make clear
  judgements
• provide accurate evidence as the basis for making
  their judgements
• have a realistic, monitored quality improvement
  action plan which includes measurable targets

8
Is your SAR fit for purpose? Is it

• a descriptive account of the provision that tells
  someone what you do
• or
• a document which evaluates the quality and
  effectiveness of your provision against all
  aspects of the CIF, and is at the centre of all
  of your quality improvement activities

9
Governance

• Governance deals with
• approving, reviewing and monitoring the mission
  of the college, its services and learning
  activities
• formulating medium and long term strategies,
  including quality, and monitoring the performance
  of the SMT against those strategies
• assuring the overall ethos of the college and how
  it conducts its business, ensuring the college's
  financial solvency

10
Management

• College management, led by the Principal, is
  responsible for
• developing and proposing the educational
  character and mission of the college to the
  governing board
• developing and managing services and learning
  activities
• implementing the medium and long term strategies
  formulated by the governing board
• the day to day running of the business of the
  college.

11
Excellence begins in the boardroom

• The college self-assessment and improvement
  process must be led and managed effectively and
  should be an integral part of leadership,
  management and governance.
• Systematic and robust self-assessment and
  improvement of performance by the governing board
  and managers is indicative of leadership by
  example. Senior post holders have a key role to
  play in the process across the college.

12
Excellence begins in the boardroom

• While college governors and managers have a
  shared role in leading college self-assessment
  and improvement, governors have two distinct
  roles
• reviewing the college's self-assessment and
  monitoring the resulting Quality Improvement Plan
  (QIP)
• being involved in self-assessment of the quality
  of performance of the board itself

13
Excellence begins in the boardroom

• Governors can achieve this by
• ensuring there is a framework for systematically
  collecting and analysing issues and views from
  all areas of the college, which together with
  college data, informs the SAR QIP
• reviewing the self-assessment process and draft
  self-assessment report as a board or through a
  committee
• using a small group of governors in a task group

14
Excellence begins in the boardroom

• Governors can achieve this by
• having governors sitting on a college SAR
  validation panel
• reviewing results of surveys of staff, students,
  employers observations of teaching and learning
  inspection grades
• monitoring progress against the QIP (as a board
  or through a committee) and ensuring that real
  improvement is taking place.
• The governing board must approve the SAR
  before it is submitted to the LAs and Ofsted