Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)

Everything you need to lead enrichment with confidence. What is it? A one-day course for colleagues leading on enrichment in their school or college, whether you're brand new to the role or already leading and want to strengthen your offer and lead with confidence.

By Chris Ingate, ASCL Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay The first Ofsted framework was in introduced in 1993. This was also the year I went into senior leadership, so I’ve always had this slight sense of paranoia that Ofsted was ‘invented’ just to keep an eye on me! During my time as a headteacher I received gradings ranging from ‘requiring improvement’ to ‘outstanding', averaging out at ‘good'.

By Greg Hurst, Centre for Homelessness Impact Many headteachers and college principals will be all too aware that homelessness goes beyond people sleeping rough on the streets. Increasingly, it means school-aged children moving further away to cramped home environments after their family is placed in temporary accommodation. Or college students sleeping on a friend’s sofa when relationships with their parents are under strain.

“Congratulations to students and their teachers on today’s level 2 results. These are very demanding qualifications and many young people will be celebrating fantastic achievements. It should be remembered that these young people experienced significant disruption earlier in their education because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That so many have done so well in their GCSEs and other level 2 qualifications is an example of triumph over adversity both for them and for their schools.

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru,comments on the publication of level 2 results in Wales. "Today is about celebrating young people and everything they have achieved. These results reflect years of hard work and perseverance, and every learner should be proud of what they have accomplished. "Results day is always a moment to celebrate.

“I want to congratulate all students receiving results today. These outcomes reflect a commitment to their studies over the last two years, and the dedication of their teachers and school leaders who have worked tirelessly to get them to this point. I also want to acknowledge the unwavering support and guidance offered by their parents and carers throughout.

“Firstly, I want to congratulate all students receiving A level, AS level and other level 3 results today - these outcomes are testament to their commitment to their studies over the last two years. They also reflect the hard work and dedication of their teachers and school leaders, often working under increasingly challenging circumstances, and the guidance and support provided to them by their parents and carers.

“Congratulations to students and their teachers on this year’s level 3 results. This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work, and everybody involved deserves enormous credit for their commitment. It is important to remember that today is not only about celebrating A-levels and that many thousands of young people take a range of equivalent qualifications in technical and vocational subjects which are vital both to their progression and to providing the skills base of the nation.

“Today marks a long-awaited and understandably nerve-racking day for level 3 qualification candidates across Wales, with more than 30,000 students receiving their results. “I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to every student on their achievements. These results reflect years of hard work, commitment and perseverance throughout their secondary and further education and represent an important milestone as they consider their next steps.

There is a growing consensus that the current approach to school inspection and accountability in England is deeply flawed. While there is much that is good about the Education Inspection Framework, its implementation has been problematic. Too many school and college leaders feel that the framework allows for overly subjective judgements to be made, that the quality of inspection teams is too variable, and that inspection activity sometimes goes beyond that set out in the handbook.