GridMaker's Role in Achieving OFSTED Success in Personal Development
Are you a school leader grappling with the complexities of personal development in your institution? Keen to ensure that your school not only meets but exceeds OFSTED expectations in this vital area? You're in good company. As a dedicated member of the GridMaker team, who has had the privilege of assisting hundreds of schools over the past decade, I understand the unique challenges you face. That's why we created GridMaker—a tool that truly captures the essence and substance of personal development in schools.
What OFSTED Expects in Personal Development
OFSTED sets a high bar for personal development. Inspectors scrutinise elements like active citizenship, fundamental British values, and pupils' character and resilience. They even look into how well your school prepares pupils for their next life stage. Questions they ask range from governors and senior leaders to teachers and pupils themselves.
Navigating these expectations can be daunting, but excelling in this area is essential for a favourable OFSTED rating.
How GridMaker Can Help You
At GridMaker, we offer a tool that is perfectly in line with the OFSTED framework for personal development. Our tool helps in capturing evidence for crucial areas, including:
Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development
British values
Physical health and mental well-being
Gatsby Benchmarks and careers
Any school or trust values
Quick, Comprehensive, Visual
Our platform allows staff to map any lesson or activity in less than 60 seconds. It provides a visual map of your school's "broad and balanced" curriculum, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
OFSTED-Compliant Reporting
GridMaker doesn't just prepare you for OFSTED inspections; it impresses inspectors as well. Our tool has received commendations during inspections and has played a significant role in schools achieving 'Outstanding' and 'Good' ratings.
Collaborative and Informative
GridMaker builds a repository of evidence that school leaders can analyse and share, facilitating a well-coordinated and effective approach to personal development.
Real-Life Success Stories
We have hundreds of testimonials from Headteachers, Personal Development Leads, SMSC Co-ordinators, and Teachers who have found GridMaker to be invaluable. Many have cited how the tool enabled them to attain positive OFSTED ratings.
Michael Webster, Regional Director of the Witherslack Group said: “GridMaker has become a valuable resource for us, even receiving commendation during 3 recent Ofsted inspections. With two Outstanding outcomes and a new school receiving Good in their first inspection, it is clear to see that Gridmaker is playing a part in our schools’ continued success.”
Another school leader at Medina College said: “The Grid was used whilst in an interview with an Ofsted inspector and one of my colleagues. The inspector was very impressed by the clarity of our evidence and how SMSC is being mapped across the curriculum. SMSC is now cited as a strength of the college.”
Finally, at The Manor Academy, a leader responsible for SMSC and Personal development in their school said: “the SMSC Grid has enabled us to gather all of the good practice regarding SMSC throughout our entire institution. Previously it was challenging for Senior Leaders to pinpoint exactly what was going on and when. It illustrates any gaps in provision and gives us a strategic plan to move forward with as well as highlighting training needs for staff. OFSTED inspectors liked the visual way of presenting SMSC provision and said as a result that our SMSC delivery had moved from “unsatisfactory” to “good”. I highly value the SMSC grid and our academy is looking at how we can further expand its use.”
Personal development is not just an OFSTED requirement; it is the foundation for creating well-rounded individuals who can thrive in any environment. GridMaker offers an efficient, comprehensive, and OFSTED-compliant solution for managing and improving this crucial aspect of education.
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