Institute for Learning
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IfL welcomes different approach to inspections
IfL has welcomed government plans to remove the requirement for Ofsted inspections of outstanding colleges, and for colleges and training providers to complete summary statements of activity. These were among the set of measures outlined by John Hayes MP, the new minister for further education, skills and lifelong learning, in his first major speech to the FE sector, at City and Islington College yesterday.
Toni Fazaeli, IfL's chief executive, said, "As the independent professional body for teachers and trainers throughout the further education and skills sector, IfL welcomes the decision to give colleges and providers more freedom so that they can be more responsive to the needs of learners and employers. With greater emphasis on professional autonomy and accountability through peer review, and full engagement with their professional body, teachers and trainers will be well placed to play their part in delivering continuous improvement from within. This is what we see elsewhere in highly valued professions, including law, surgery, accounting, nursing and midwifery.
"Fewer inspections and more creative and developmental approaches to improving quality, led by teachers and trainers, are the right way forward. IfL hopes that Ofsted will complement this by continuing to carry out thematic surveys and continuing to highlight excellent practice in teaching and training to give a clear sense of the very best nationally.
"Members of IfL – more than 200,000 teachers and trainers across further education and skills – are dual professionals, expert in their subject or vocational area and in teaching and training methods that work effectively, with an extremely diverse range of learners. As professionally qualified and expert teachers and trainers, they should be trusted to fulfil their crucial role of preparing young people and adults for learning and work, and to share their effective practice. Continuing professional development (CPD) is fundamental to their success, and they increasingly look to IfL to support their CPD and help them make links nationally with other teachers and trainers in their specialist subjects, forming effective communities of practice.
"Reducing levels of inspection will mean that more of the budget is available for frontline teaching and training, which should in turn support the government's welcome focus on vocational qualifications and encouraging more people to participate in adult and community learning. Both are central to helping us out of recession; building strong communities; improving people's wellbeing; and reducing the number of 18 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training.
"Professional teachers and trainers have a vital part to play in strengthening the supply of technician-level skills and addressing the skills needs of high-value areas of the economy to help restore this country's standing and prosperity. IfL welcomes Mr Hayes' commitment to unlocking the energies and talents of all teachers and trainers in colleges and providers across the country. We are encouraged by the indications that ministers will trust and draw on teaching professionals’ wisdom; remove unnecessary bureaucratic burdens; and free practitioners to concentrate on providing high-quality teaching and training across further education and skills."
