Ofsted calls for teaching quality to improve

Miriam Rosen’s in-depth analysis provides an insight into the quality of those services for children and learners; what is working well and what needs to improve.

A number of key challenges are discussed, including:

• Tackling failure - an inadequate inspection judgement, whether for a children's home or school, college or nursery, can be an important catalyst for change
• Raising ambitions – nearly 800 schools judged have been deemed satisfactory for the last two inspections
• Teaching quality – there is too little outstanding teaching: it is a priority for improvement across the school system
• Ensuring the best services are provided for children most in need.

The total number of schools in a category of concern - that is judged to be in special measures or being given a notice to improve - reduced from 553 at the end of last year to 451 at the end of August 2011, showing improvement.

Over a fifth of schools judged inadequate at their previous inspection were found to be good or better when inspected again this year. In addition, schools are now emerging from special measures faster than the previous year - after an average of 18 months rather than 20.

In inspections of local authorities' children's social care, where Ofsted completed the second full year of unannounced inspection of contact, referral and assessment arrangements, weaknesses identified the previous year had been addressed in the great majority of cases.

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