Care, guidance and support
The effectiveness of care, guidance and support
Ofsted inspectors evaluate:
- The care and support provided to promote learning, personal development and well-being.
- The quality and accessibility of information, advice and guidance for pupils.
Outline guidance
Inspectors take account of the following:
- The judgement for the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures.
- Pupils’ and parents’ views of the information, advice and guidance provided to pupils.
- The measures taken by the school to provide a welcoming learning environment for individuals and groups of pupils.
- The effectiveness of transition arrangements for pupils leaving or joining the school, for example from nursery to primary school, primary to secondary, secondary to further/higher education training or employment, and those leaving or joining at a time other than the start of the school year.
- The effectiveness of transition arrangements for pupils moving through the school, for example from Reception to Year 1, from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 and post-16.
- At least one case study of a potentially vulnerable child to assess the effectiveness of the care, guidance and support for individual pupils.
- The quality of the information and individual guidance provided to help pupils make the best choices, for example regarding future courses or careers or on matters relating to their personal health and safety.
- The effectiveness of specific care, support and guidance and strategies, resources and staff deployment for particular groups and individuals, especially more vulnerable groups and individuals, including those exhibiting challenging behaviour, those that are persistently absent and those with medical needs.
- The effectiveness of the steps taken by the school to encourage regular attendance for all groups of pupils, including the school’s progress towards any attendance targets set by the DCSF or local authority.
- The effectiveness of provision to enable any pupils to catch up with work missed, for example through absence, through attendance at additional programmes, or through exclusion.
- First-hand observation of the quality of any out of school care provided and managed by the governing body.
The effectiveness of care, guidance and support: grade descriptors
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| (1 )Outstanding | Very well-targeted support for all pupils has enabled them to make the best of the opportunities provided by the school. Excellent attention is given to all aspects of care, guidance and support. Pupils are known as individuals and have high levels of confidence in the school’s ability to advise them effectively. The school’s work with families, children and a range of agencies to sustain the learning, development and well-being of individual pupils facing challenging circumstances is deeply embedded at all levels. |
| (2) Good | Well-organised arrangements for the care of all pupils contribute to their generally good development and well-being and support their learning effectively. Clearly targeted support for groups of potentially vulnerable pupils has resulted in significant improvement, for instance in attitudes, behaviour, confidence, achievement or relationships. The school can point to striking examples of where it has helped individual pupils overcome significant barriers to their education. Good-quality advice and guidance are provided consistently, enabling pupils to make confident and wellinformed choices about their future. |