Preparing for Ofsted: Science

Linda Elliott

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Are you ready?

Ofsted’s revised Framework came into force in September 2005. It represents a highly significant change in emphasis and places considerable extra responsibility on schools – including heads of department.

Meeting your new obligations

The new requirements include a stronger emphasis on self-evaluation and on the requirements of Every Child Matters. Preparing for Ofsted: Science is provided on a CD-ROM and forms an ideal starting point for any Science department. From outlining the sequence of the inspection, it moves on to consider the importance of self-evaluation and the creation of appropriate documentation. The emphasis is on the practical: what you need to do, when you need to do it, and how you might or must do it.

Helping you gather essential evidence

The information your school needs to complete its self-evaluation form (SEF) for Ofsted depends on a thorough departmental self-evaluation. This resource offers guidance on how you can demonstrate your department’s strengths and weaknesses and its capacity to improve.

Digital files

Importantly, real guidance and support is provided on key issues for both you and your colleagues and the resource includes numerous tables, forms and handouts. These are provided as a range of supplementary digital files, each of which can be edited. These may be Microsoft® Word files for word processing, spreadsheet files or presentation graphic files.

Printable material

All the explanatory material can be viewed onscreen, via a Web browser or printed out from special digital files provided.

Contents

The resource is divided into the following main sections:

• Background – The main features of current Ofsted inspections (both institutional and subject/survey inspections) and the implications for the Science department.
• Self-evaluation – The importance of self-evaluation, along with practical guidance on all the issues concerned.
• Evidence – Guidance on collating appropriate evidence to support your department’s evaluation, and prepare for the inspector’s visit.
• During – Advice on lesson observation and on discussions with inspectors for staff and for pupils.

In addition, there is a Resources section, which offers a selection of publications and other resources that staff may wish to read, together with useful Web sites. It also contains links to all the digital files as well as a printable version of the onscreen content.

Contents

• Introduction
• Background
• Self-evaluation
• Evidence
• During
• Resources
• Index