UCAS applications great result for STEM teachers

by Yvonne Baker

Today’s UCAS application stats could hardly be better news for everyone who has worked so hard in recent years to encourage more young people to consider a future in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.  Even for those who don’t follow a career in STEM, studying the subject leads to an overall improvement in their life, with higher earnings and a greater chance of engagement with the major decisions which will shape the future of our planet.  It’s hard not to be evangelical about the improvements that have come about in recent years – we’ve seen a steady rise in the number of young people taking science subjects at GCSE and A Level, and it appears that this is now crossing over into applications for places at university.  Fundamental to this is the quality of teaching young people receive; research shows that professional development for subject teachers has far reaching consequences for their pupils, with impact on both engagement and achievement, it is marvellous to see this translated into a rise in the number of young people choosing to study the mathematical, physical, biological and computer sciences and engineering.

Triple Science Support Programme Presentation. ASE 2013 #aseconf

by Rosalyn Sands

This presentation was first presented at the ASE (Association for Science Education) Conference in January 2013. It is reproduced here for those who were unable to make the presentation.

Assessment for Learning – the teachers perspective

In our latest video, we interview three science teachers from across the British Isles who attended our Assessment for Learning course in York.  These are their opinions and thoughts.

If you can’t view YouTube videos you can also watch the video on the Leading Assessment for Learning in Science course page.

Progress and Progression in the new Ofsted Framework

By Ian Richardson

The word around schools and staff rooms is that satisfactory is no longer good enough. How can this be?

In January 2012 the new Framework for the Inspection of Schools came into force and it was updated in March 2012. Also in January 2012, Ofsted published supporting material such as ‘The evaluation schedule for the inspection of maintained schools and academies from January 2012’. For those in education who desire to understand the inspection process both documents need to be read.  They may be found as follows:

Framework for the Inspection of Schools

Evaluation schedule

The new framework requires fewer judgments than the previous version.

The evaluation schedule sets out the aspects of the school’s work that inspectors will evaluate, gives outline guidance about the evidence that inspectors may gather and grade descriptors to guide inspectors in making their judgements in the inspection of maintained schools and academies. These criteria are designed to be used by teachers and schools themselves in their self-evaluation activities.

The evaluation schedule should be interpreted in the context of each school being inspected. Inspectors will interpret grade descriptors in relation to pupils’ age, stage and phase of education.

The four judgments cover:

• the achievement of pupils at the school
• the quality of teaching in the school
• the behaviour and safety of pupils at the school
• the quality of leadership and management of the school.

The evaluation schedule for the inspection of maintained schools and academies only has two references to PROGRESSION which is taken to mean the next stage in education, training or employment. The word PROGRESS occurs many times and refers to progress aligned with learning and is relative to their starting point. The two areas of the schedule addressing progress are:

• Achievement of pupils at the school
• The quality of teaching

Groups of pupils:

Inspection is primarily about how individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential, especially those whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and/or additional support.

Achievement of pupils at school

This section deals with academic achievement. Achievement takes account of pupils’ attainment and their progress over time, together with the quality of learning and progress by different groups of pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Inspectors will evaluate:

• how well pupils make progress relative to their starting points
• how well gaps are narrowing between the performance of different groups of pupils in the school and compared to all pupils nationally
• how well current pupils learn, the quality of their work in a range of subjects and the progress they have made since joining the school.
• how well disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have achieved since joining the school
• the extent to which pupils develop a range of skills well, including reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills and how well they apply these across the curriculum
• the standards attained by pupils by the time they leave the school, including their standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

Ian will be running a workshop at the Science Teaching and Learning Conference on 25 June 2012, entitled Demonstrating Progress – What is Ofsted Looking For and How Can Teachers Influence the Inspector?

Have you recently been through an Ofsted inspection?  Does Ian’s article match your experience?  What can you add to Ian’s ideas on progress?