Reflections on the Ofsted Update – Issue 3

On Tuesday 21st October, we welcomed HMI Christopher Stevens to present an Ofsted update. You can watch the recording here. 

This is the third issue in a series of three, to summarise the key messages Chris shared and answer your questions relating to music education. In the first issue, we looked at the new revised framework and quality marks; the second issue focused on assessment. This final issue will address the inspection process in more detail. 

What do you need to know about inspection in relation to the renewed Ofsted framework, as a music educator?   

• “No more deep dives”: the way inspectors will gather evidence will not be through the deep dive methodology. 
• The Education Inspection toolkit details how inspectors will gather and consider evidence and the underpinning research. For curriculum and teaching, this can be found on page 19. 
• In Early Years, particularly, teachers do need to know what children can do musically, but do not need to take photos. 

Your questions answered by Music Mark Schools Manager  

You asked about how music will be inspected and what subject leaders for music can expect from inspection. As we have unpicked throughout this series, we know that Ofsted will not be conducting a deep dive, so what will they be looking for from teachers and subject leaders?  

Regarding the leadership of music, inspectors want to know:  

• What do school leaders understand about the quality of curriculum and teaching? 
• Do leaders deploy staff to deliver high-quality music teaching? 
• Is music taught well? Do leaders have plans where they identify areas for improvement and take action (e.g. through CPD)?  

Inspectors want to find out about the curriculum entitlement for every pupil: 

• Does the curriculum cover the statutory requirements in the national curriculum?  
• Is the curriculum at least as ambitious in breadth and depth as the national curriculum? 
• Is music inclusive? Inspectors will check if the curriculum is designed to give those facing barriers to learning the knowledge they need. 

How they might gather evidence:  

• Inspectors might ask about how the music curriculum has been sequenced and ordered.  
• You can provide your improvement plans for music as evidence. 
• The Curriculum and Assessment Review and government response were published after this session took place, but what we know from these publications is that enrichment, which includes music, will be inspected by Ofsted as part of the school’s ‘personal development and well-being’ evaluation area.  

“As set out in Ofsted’s new inspection framework, pupils’ access to opportunities that broaden their experiences and enable them to develop their talents and interests, is considered under personal development. When Ofsted updates its inspection toolkits next year, it will take account of the new enrichment benchmarks […]” – Government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review Page 40 

A summary of the key themes from the whole session: 

• The Education Inspection Framework (EIF) has a renewed, not new, approach. 
• The EIF is designed to evaluate the quality of education in schools, not individual subjects. 
• Striking the right note: the music subject report is still a helpful document. 
• There will be no more deep dives. 
• Ofsted’s grading standards are based on what schools are already required to do. 
• Evidence of assessment should be used effectively to inform teaching and learning. 
• Summative assessment should demonstrate how leaders know that the curriculum is effective. 
• Ongoing feedback in the moment should be to support pupil progress. 

You can revisit the recording of the session and refer to the resources linked throughout this series of articles to build your confidence in how you can demonstrate the strength of your music education.  

At Music Mark, we continue to support the delivery of high-quality music teaching through our range of training and events. Sign up to our newsletters and look into our schools membership to access member-only benefits (£50*+VAT for the academic year for the school).  

*£25+VAT with a valid Music Mark of Recognition from your local music service.