Just A Little Something - Episode 7

Just a little something is a series which covers some of the things that leaders of independent schools sometimes overlook, omit, misunderstand, or fail to address when it comes to meeting the all-important Independent School Standards.

Before we begin: a bit of advice

• Please find time to read The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (Make sure that you are looking at the “latest available (revised)”version. The date of the last revision was 19 August 2024

• Also the DfE’s Independent School Standards: Guidance for Independent Schools

And to borrow the DfE’s disclaimer from the latter document what I share with you here: is not purported to be definitive guidance on the meaning of the standards themselves, only a court can give that.

Today we continue to look at the standards that most schools fail to meet. Back in episode 3 I outlined the standards that top the list on inspection statistic tables in terms of non-compliance – right down to the sub-paragraph and there were eight of them – at the time episode 7 was written the following only three of the eight had been covered: 34(1)(b), 34(1)(a), 2(1)(a). Therefore we moved onto the next one which was 3(a)

Standard 3 (a) – covers the requirement for the proprietor to ensures that the teaching at the school enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught

The most common issue I find in my travels around this requirement is insufficient support for staff who are not qualified teachers or subject specialists.

Many non-association independent schools employ qualified teachers and are committed to providing teacher training opportunities for their staff who are not qualified. They also usually ensure that subject specialists are sought as a minimum, in the core subject areas.

However, because QTS is not a legal requirement outside the maintained school sector there are also many schools that employ staff who are not yet qualified to teach. Some of the proprietors of such schools say that they are forced to do so because they cannot afford to pay for qualified teachers. Given the less predictable financial climate created by the fact that the majority of non-association independent schools get their pupils from local authority SEND referrals that can take place at any time of the year, at any stage of a pupils learner journey and that fees are are set under individual funding agreements and paid termly usually in arrears I can understand this up to a point. I imagine this is especially challenging for small independent schools owned by individual proprietors or by charities. Having said that, whatever the challenge when teaching staff have gaps in their subject knowledge or pedagogic knowledge the school should focus all their efforts on supporting them so that pupils are not disadvantaged by poor quality teaching.

These pupils who are there because they have not managed to cope in mainstream environments. Pupils who usually have special educational needs, have been out of education for significant periods of time and some of whom have had adverse childhood experiences. Pupils for whom this school is possibly their “last chance saloon” after having been excluded from multiple provisions. And yes, they need many other things before we can begin to talk about teaching - support to meet their needs and get them ready to engage with learning – they need the “Maslow before they Bloom” I agree. But when they get to the Bloom part – let us provide them with good quality teaching. Teaching which “enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught” as required by sub-paragraph 3 (a).

So, to those schools that have teaching staff who are not yet qualified teachers or those teaching subjects in which their knowledge is not solid I ask:

Isn’t it worth investing in qualified teachers to ensure that pupils experience good quality teaching? And I know, the fact that a teacher is qualified does not always mean that they are right for your school, that it needs a certain type of person I get it then lets go for the right type of person who is also qualified.

Or hiring the right person and investing in their teacher training. Or investing in teacher training for the staff you already have? And investing in subject knowledge training in areas where it is needed at your school?

And if you choose to take that route, how are you making sure that in the meantime, while your staff are training, pupils receive a good quality of education?

Are they being supported by a qualified teacher from your school?

Are they being coached or mentored by senor members of staff?

Are you using peer observation?

How about group planning sessions?

Are you setting up triads, so staff members support each other in their development?

Are you developing partnerships with other schools which provide your staff with opportunities for peer observation, joint planning, coaching and mentorship?

Are you delivering regular CPD to improve their teaching skills?

Are you encouraging your staff to use online resources where they can observe qualified teachers teaching specific topics in which they themselves are not confident?

How are you making sure that the teachers at your school, whether qualified or not, subject specialists or not are equipped to deliver good quality teaching?

Here are some examples of the reasons why schools fail to meet sub-paragraph 3 (a) These are the statements I extracted from recent inspection reports:

“Some staff do not have sufficient knowledge and skills in the subjects they teach. They do not always make the most effective pedagogical choices when delivering the curriculum.”

“Teachers lack subject knowledge. They resort to designing isolated tasks and activities that fail to secure pupils’ knowledge over time.”

“The school has experienced turbulence with staffing since the last inspection…At the time of this inspection, the only qualified teachers in the school were the proprietor and the headteacher. This has severely hampered leaders’ capacity and their ability to improve the quality of education.”

“During this inspection, staff had not had sufficient subject-specific training or support to help them to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teaching methods and activities did not support pupils to build knowledge securely over time.”

“Teachers have not received subject-specific training to build their knowledge to teach the subject content of the school’s new curriculum subject plans. As a result, teachers do not have the subject expertise to deliver the specific content when the new curriculum subject plans are implemented.”

I know it might seem like I have handpicked these to support my earlier statement – I haven’t, I promise. This is the main reason why some schools are failing to comply with this paragraph.

I hope this has been useful to someone out there.