Article 3: Leadership and Management has changed as a Key Judgement in the EIF

Students experience of College life is at the centre of the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) published this summer. There is a shift for leaders and managers away from data to the 3 I’s of curriculum structure and delivery. Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact are now at the core of the new EIF. There is also a strong focus for leaders and managers on staff well-being, “realistic and constructive management” of workloads (p63) and the creation of a positive learning culture born out in “strong shared values, policies and practice” (p63).
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Much of what the EIF describes in the key judgement on leadership and management are the softer skills of leadership and management which when used highly effectively develop and sustain a positive and impactful learning culture.  My experience as a quality reviewer teaches me that success in terms of culture can be ‘felt’ when you walk into a College. You can almost feel it and touch it. You can sense it and you can see if mutual trust, fairness and respect are intrinsically evident for all. An effective learning culture is about how everyone treats each other embedded into a shared sense of social responsibility within the learning community. Staff and students who collective own a clear sense of purpose with a strong sense of belonging feel safe and speak highly of the collaborative efforts made by staff at a college to secure their life and career ambitions. Ask yourself, do your staff and students buy into the organisations vision, do they feel a strong sense of identity and belonging and a commitment to contributing to the success of both themselves, others and the College itself?  

Any judgement of a culture is difficult to find in documentary evidence per se, a culture is ‘lived out’ each day. You can assess a positive learning culture by talking to individuals who are a part of that culture, who interact day to day with the population of the College. There is an even greater focus in the EIF for inspectors to talk to staff, learners, parents/carers, employers and stakeholder in the wider social and economic community to hear about their experiences of either working alongside  College leaders and staff, or how they have been treated when dealing with ‘the college’ . 

Attributes and behaviours demonstrated by staff and students alike provide a day to day representation of the culture of the college. A positive learning culture can be seen and heard in the language of both support and ambition in the right measures at the right time for each individual.  Interestingly the inadequate grade descriptor in Personal Development says Personal Development as a key judgement "is likely to be inadequate where; Leaders and those responsible for governance, through their words, actions or influence, directly and/or indirectly, undermine or fail to promote equality of opportunity". 

You can also see care for each other’s well-being and a sustained drive towards continuous quality improvement in a culture through shared storytelling & artefacts, supported within documentary evidence such as minutes of meetings, all policies, decisions, communications, correspondence and actions taken. 

Staff well-being doesn’t just happen, it takes a clear vision of the 'why, what, when and how of what 'well-being' means for the College shared in a coherent strategy. There then needs to be huge collective commitment, effective use of resources and opportunity built in to life at work for staff to rest, think, reflect, have fun and laugh. A coaching approach can improve staff well-being and it also provides a framework for a positive forward thinking continuously improving learning culture.  

In the EIF leaders and managers also need to ensure staff development for teachers is meaningful and focused on pedagogical approaches and pedagogical content, along with an opportunity to continuously develop their subject, vocational and technical knowledge. Can leaders be sure teachers understand the pedagogical approaches they are using to secure learning, assessment and achievement (LAA rather than TLA).

There is a clear steer in the key judgement on 'quality of education' that leaders are managing the impact of assessments for teachers. The criteria in the  section on curriculum implementation states that "Leaders understand the limitations of assessment and do not use it in a way that creates burdens for staff or learners " P49

The clear requirements around effective safeguarding processes, meeting legal responsibilities and effective governance have come across from the CIF and remains a large part of the EIF.
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Below I have shared some of the detail on leadership and management from the EIF p 58 -64. Anything in italics in this article is my own view. Otherwise I have tried to provide an overview of the requirements of the EIF as it is written. 

Inspectors will look at the work of principals, chief executives, senior leaders and others with leadership and management roles when reaching their judgement.

The New Key Judgements 
Overall Effectiveness remains – the 4 key Judgements are now:

• The Quality of Education
• Behaviour and Attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and Management

​The EIF Headings for Leadership and Management are:
Leadership and Management 
Leaders high expectations of all learners and the extent to which they are embodied in day to day interactions with and support for learners.
Is CPD aligned with the curriculum?

New in the EIF is inspectors are interested in the extent to which leaders consider the workload and well-being of their staff whilst also developing and strengthening the quality of the workforce ​

Governance
The framework asks to what extent do governors provide confident, strategic leadership and create strong accountability for and oversight and assurance of educational performance to ensure continuous and sustainable improvement
Do governors:

• know the strengths and weaknesses of the provider?
• support and strengthen the leadership contributing to shaping strategic direction?
• ensure the provider meets its statutory responsibilities?
• provide challenge and hold senior leaders to account for improving the quality of learning and the effectiveness of performance management systems?

 College group and governance arrangements

• Where there is an overall board and a local college board of governors’ inspectors will look at the impact of both

Safeguarding

• No separate grade for safeguarding but inspectors will make a written judgement in the leadership and management section of the report – effective or ineffective. If safeguarding is judged ineffective L & M is likely to be inadequate

• Likely to lead to ineffective:

If learners’ behaviour towards each other is unsafe, putting learners at risk of harm,
Incident of bullying, prejudiced and discriminatory behaviour either direct or indirect
Learners have little confidence their concerns will be addressed
Learners or particular learners do not feel safe
Leaders and managers do not handle safeguarding allegations about staff and learners appropriately
Leaders and managers do not have suitable arrangements for learners to raise concerns, for identifying vulnerable adults or for managing safe recruitment
Leaders fail to protect learners from the danger of radicalisation and extremism in accordance with the ‘Prevent’ duty guidance

• ‘Inspecting Safeguarding in early years, education and skills setting’ (Ofsted 2015) should be read in conjunction with the EIF
• Inspectors will also be familiar with the following publications:

‘Keeping children safe in education: statutory guidance for schools and colleges’ (DfE 2018)
‘Working together to safeguard children’ (DfE July 2018)
‘Positive environments where children can flourish’ (Ofsted March 2018)
 
Sources of evidence specific to leadership and management
Inspectors will use a range of evidence including documentary evidence that the provider supplies to evaluate the work of leaders, managers and governors both currently and over time. This evidence will be used in conjunction with first-hand evidence. This includes but is not limited to:

• meetings with leaders, and governors to evaluate how well they fulfil their statutory duty with respect to equality & safeguarding
• documentary evidence of the effectiveness of provision for all learners and its continuous and sustained improvement
•  interview with staff and learners to evaluate how well leaders have created a positive culture
• responses to staff, learner, employer and parent/carer questionnaires “this will be useful in judging the culture that leaders and managers have established” p61
• evidence of how leaders have responded to concerns raised by staff, parents or employers

 
GRADE DESCRIPTORS
The main detail of the grade descriptors can be found in the section on Good (grade 2) – it appears you must meet the Good criteria and then meet additional criteria to be graded as Outstanding 

Outstanding (1) the provider meets all the criteria for good leadership and management securely and consistently. The leadership and management are exceptional (p61- 64). In addition:

• leaders ensure teachers receive focused and highly effective professional development.
• Teachers’ subject, vocational, technical, pedagogical approaches and pedagogical knowledge builds and develops consistently over time and improve the quality of education provided to learners
• leader’s engagement with learners, employers, parents and the local community is very effective. They have evidence of how this engagement benefits learners and ensures continuous and sustained improvement
• leaders ensure that regular, frequent and meaningful engagement takes place with staff at all levels, so that they can be confident issues will be identified – in particular about staff workload – leaders deal with issues consistently, appropriately and quickly.
• Staff consistently report high levels of support for well-being issues
  
  

Good (2) Leaders:

• have clear ambition and vision for providing high quality inclusive education and training to all
• focus on improving teachers subject and teaching knowledge to enhance teaching and the appropriate use of assessment
• ensure all those with SEND, high needs and disadvantaged learners get information, advice, guidance and support to achieve next steps. Leaders support staff to be able to achieve this.
• engage effectively with stakeholders in their community, including local services and organisations responsible for local and regional economic planning
• Engage with staff and take into account the main pressures on them. They are realistic and constructive in the way they manage staff, including their workload
• ensure those responsible for governance understand their role and carry it out effectively. Governors ensure there is a clear vision and strategy and that resources are well managed. Governors hold leaders to account for the quality of provision and ensure continuous and sustained improvement 
• protect staff from harassment, bullying and discrimination
• ensure there is an effective culture for safeguarding

 
Governors ensure that the provider fulfils its legal duties and responsibilities
 
Require Improvement (3) not yet good (2). Safeguarding is effective, if any weaknesses exist, they can be rectified quickly and there is no serious failing that leave learners being harmed or at risk
Inadequate (4) is a list of things leaders are not seen to be doing in relation to the criteria outlined in Good (2)
 
In Summary
Key changes for leaders and managers are focused on:

•  talking to students about their experience rather than on outcome data
• in- learning progress and progression remain important
• intrinsic high-quality advice & guidance remains
• Learning, Assessment & Achievement (LAA) rather than TLA
• curriculum design – 3 I’s of curriculum linked to coherence of learning
• meaningful work experience that makes a valuable contribution
• staff workloads – realistic and well managed
• staff wellbeing – a clear strategy in place and well executed 
• how effectively leaders use feedback from staff/students/parents/carers/employers to improve the quality of provision
• teacher’s Professional development is focused on pedagogy as well as on subject, technical and vocational updating – development clearly links directly to the curriculum
• safeguarding and the safety of learning is vital in grading L & M
• creating a positive learning culture where everyone can thrive

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Anything in italics is my own view or interpretation otherwise I have taken the information directly from the new Ofsted Further Education and Skills Inspection Handbook, published in July 2019, reference 190021. Wendy@yellowgooseleadership.co.uk