We all want to know what OFSTED inspectors are looking for so that we can ensure that we are doing everything we can to show ourselves at our best when they visit .
Recently I was able to attend a Teaching and Learning conference where there was an inspector present . The inspector answered some interesting and pertinent questions and there is something we can all take from what was shared .
When asked the main difference between Good and Outstanding he mentioned two things ; Typicality and Differentiation .
With regard to typicality he said that there is a greater emphasis on work scrutiny and attainment and this would be through looking at books and data to track progress .
For differentiation he said that we need to show that we do this consistently and that this is evidenced in our books . He said that they would look at three student books on the same date and see if they had the same work in each .
Finally he was asked what percentage of students needed to make excellent progress for a lesson to be Outstanding . His reply was ALL students needed good progress and “ a number ” to make beyond expected progress . He equated this to about a fifth .
A couple of ways to transform Numeracy across ALL subjects :
Illustrate the importance of : -
being able to make sense of information in chart / graphical form and be able to describe the ' story ' behind the graph .
being able to make sense of calculation answers , check the reasonableness of an answer and select the most appropriate method of solution .
If students need to solve number problems in your lessons , support them to solve them mentally .
Don ’ t explain to them how you would do it … encourage them to reflect on their own knowledge about numbers .