Bringing together powerful evidence from almost 40,000 inspections carried out during 2008/9, the report acknowledges overall progress and many successes, but also focuses on where improvements must still be made.
It highlights the continuing gap between the best and worst provision for children, young people and adult learners, and challenges those who deliver services that are mediocre or inadequate.
In Greater Manchester, 83 schools, 71 childcare providers, 2 adult learning providers and 10 social care providers were judged to be providing outstanding care, education or skills.
One of the colleges judged to be outstanding is Trafford College. Today Sue Barkway, Ofsted’s Regional Director for Inspection Delivery, visited to highlight its provision of outstanding quality of education and care.
Sue Barkway said:
“I am delighted to be here today to congratulate the Principal, staff and governors of Trafford College on their hard work and success in delivering such a high standard of education.”
Speaking of this success, Trafford College Principal Sir Bill Moorcroft said:
“Trafford College’s Ofsted report is a glowing tribute to the excellent work of our students and staff, and I’m thoroughly delighted by this achievement. The college has maintained its aspiration to deliver an outstanding experience since the recent merger, and the achievement of our students has remained at the centre of everything we do.
“Our students are given an excellent range of support to meet their academic and personal needs to ensure that they develop and fulfil their ambitions for success, regardless of their previous academic experiences. The recent inspection confirms our commitment to work with students to provide them with successful opportunities for the future.”
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills, Christine Gilbert, said:
“I would like to congratulate all who contributed to the success of outstanding provision across all areas of education and children’s social care in Greater Manchester. This is good news, not just for the providers but for the children, young people and learners who benefit from such excellent services.”
National highlights from the report show that nearly seven out of ten of schools were good or outstanding (69%) – more than ever before. The report provides strong evidence of improvement in schools over the past four years. Last year 64% were good or outstanding, up from 59% in 2005/6 when the previous arrangements began. 11% of maintained schools were judged outstanding in 2005/6 with 8% inadequate; in 2008/9 it was 19% and 4% respectively.
Nearly two thirds of childcare was good or outstanding in 2008/9 (65%), higher than in the previous year, and good news for the hundreds of thousands of children, parents and carers in England. Almost nine out of ten childcare providers previously rated inadequate had improved by their next inspection.
Most local authorities are providing good quality services for looked after children; for example, nearly two thirds of children’s homes were good or outstanding (64%).
The majority of colleges (63%) inspected in 2008/9 were judged good or outstanding, with an increase since 2005/6 in the proportion that are outstanding (20%, compared to 13% in 2005/6).
However, along with celebrating success, Ofsted’s Annual Report highlights where problems continue and shows that much is still to be done to improve the quality of services provided to children, young people and adult learners.
Reflecting on the findings of the Annual Report, HMCI, Christine Gilbert said:
“I see evidence of sustained improvement and I see excellence in the most difficult of circumstances. But across the range of Ofsted’s remit, there remains too much that is mediocre and persistently so. I am clear of the greatest challenge: to raise the quality of the provision that is only satisfactory to the level of good or outstanding.
I see no reason why every nursery, every school, college, children’s home, all children’s services and indeed, every provider, should not aspire to be good and to be working towards excellence. That’s what gives children and learners, whatever their age, hope and the belief in themselves to succeed.”