Ofsted warns over 'uninspiring' private school teaching
More than 1,000 private schools are to be subjected to tough new inspections after Ofsted warned that teaching was “seldom inspiring”.
The education watchdog is proposing to launch "no notice" inspections of independent schools falling under its direct control amid fears that too many children are being let down.
From September, Ofsted will put a greater focus on the progress made by individual children during their time at school combined with teaching standards and the quality of the curriculum.
It will also focus on the extent to which pupils are prepared for life in a “modern British multicultural society”. This follows concerns that children at some private faith schools – particularly Islamic institutions – may be at risk of indoctrination.
An overhaul of the inspection regime comes after Ofsted concluded that teaching in many small independent schools was rarely better than “competent”.
In its annual report published in November, the watchdog said lessons were not good enough in a third of fee-paying schools it inspected and only seven per cent of teaching was regularly outstanding.
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... (Daily Telegraph - 24 January)