Quality Assurance and Reports

DfE Online Education Accreditation Scheme

Ofsted Trial Inspection July 2021

On Wednesday 30th June and Thursday 1st July 2021, there was a two-day Ofsted trial inspection at school, which was very insightful.

Introduction

The online education services sector for children in England has proliferated in recent years. However, this type of provision is currently unregulated.
Many providers now offer a full curriculum and represent a child’s main or only formal education source.

The Department for Education (DfE) is establishing the Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS) to incentivise online education providers to meet high standards of education and care for their students and, through public reporting, to share best practice across the sector. This will have the added benefit of reassuring students, their parents, and local authorities of the quality of education and safeguarding provided in an online environment.

Quality assurance

In June 2021, Ofsted was appointed to act as quality assurance body for the scheme. ‘Trial visits’, were undertaken by Ofsted during June and July 2021 on a small number of providers and will inform any refinements necessary to the scheme before it commences.

iBOS was among the few schools chosen to participate in the trial inspection. The Department for Education (DfE) hopes the scheme will be fully operational.

The Trial Inspection by HMI

Whilst it needs to be noted that the visit by the Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) was as part of the trial inspection programme, the unofficial feedback was encouraging. HMI recognised that leaders have a strong, authentic vision for the school. Our students and staff should be proud of their achievements.

Some next steps from the trial inspection have been identified in the following areas:

• • Further, improve the safeguarding procedures in an online school environment with students living outside the UK. iBOS has worked closely with the UK Government and the Department for Education to ensure our safeguarding measures meet the high standards set by ourselves and the quality assurance organisations. Alongside this, iBOS is working tirelessly to build better relationships with various local authorities in the respective countries.
  • Make sure the school policies are in line with other government guidelines such as Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and DfE guidelines.
    iBOS has acted on this and further developed the relevant policies.
  • Students creating a social platform to enhance their social interaction.
    iBOS has been investing in promotion of online social, moral, spiritual and cultural skills. The student council is working closely with the school management to enhance this programme for the next academic year. Examples of this include more student led clubs and enrichment activities outside of the school day.

We know that our students are capable of making a significant global impact, and we will continue to support them in striving to reach their full potential.

Thank you to staff, students, parents and governors for the continued support.