Extended services excused inspection

Ofsted will not inspect or measure the impact on educational
standards of new services provided by extended schools.

Julian Piper, national director of the extended schools support
service at education charity ContinYou, told teachers last month
that there was “no need to panic” because progress would not be
monitored.

He said the Ofsted process would have a section on meeting the
needs of the community but no detailed information about the impact
of extended activities would be required.

“It is OK to fail. It is not often the government says that. But
this is a new programme and there is an awareness in the Department
for Education and Skills that some things will not work,” Piper
said.

However, although some teachers were relieved that they would not
be judged on their involvement in the experimental phase of
extended schools, others warned that the lack of hard evidence
would make it difficult to argue a link between improved standards
and extended activities.