Ofsted to punish schools for bad behaviour

Watchdog pushes to raise ‘true standard’ by assessing behaviour of pupils in class and at break periods

SCHOOLS will be marked down if pupils misbehave and are discourteous to each other in the playground, under Ofsted’s new inspection regime.

The proposed framework, which will be published today, includes “behaviour and attitudes” as a stand-alone category for the first time.

The move follows research by Ofsted that revealed a rise in “low level” disruption such as children playing on their mobile phones and other electronic devices in the classroom.

Schools will be judged on whether there is a “safe, calm, orderly and positive environment”, the draft framework says.

Inspectors should observe pupils during break times and lunch as well as during lessons, and take note of “pupils’ respect, courtesy and good manners towards each other and adults”. A school that has deliberately removed pupils from the school or “arranged for them to be absent” on the day of an inspection in an attempt to boost their Ofsted rating will likely be handed an instant “inadequate” grade for the category.

Sean Harford, the Ofsted national director for education, said that the new category was bought in to recognise the fact that low-level disruption was on the rise, adding: “If every child behaved at school the standards would rocket up.”

The education watchdog published research in 2014 that found that lowlevel disruption was an everyday part of school life, with pupils routinely using mobile phones, humming and swinging on chairs.

Children were losing up to an hour a day of teaching because of a damaging culture of disrespect in schools, the report concluded.

Mr Harford said that the research informed the new framework, explaining: “The problem now is about low-level disruption – swinging on chairs, tapping when the teacher is talking, passing notes, whispering, mobile phones, getting distracted by electronic devices. That kind of thing is what has been on the rise, and is the bane of teachers’ lives.”

In the new framework, the “personal development” category will examine what schools do to build young people’s resilience and confidence.

Inspections in England will no longer focus on exam results and grades, and instead will concentrate on whether pupils are being taught a broad curriculum, the framework says.

It also seeks to mark down schools that are guilty of “off-rolling”, where pupils are unjustifiably expelled because the school fears their exam results will drag the average down.

Launching the consultation to the Sixth Form Colleges Association today, Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, will say: “This will reward those who are ambitious and make sure that young people accumulate rich, well-connected knowledge and develop strong skills using this knowledge. This is all about raising true standards.”

It is hoped the new framework will be implemented in September.