Handbook for Local Authorities
On 11 April Ofsted published the Annual performance assessment (APA): handbook of procedures for 2008.
The APA evaluates and grades the contribution of council’s services to improving outcomes for children and young people. Inspectors make judgements about each of the five Every Child Matters outcome areas: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being - and the councils' capacity to improve these services further, as well as overall effectiveness.
The handbook is intended for councils and their partners, Ofsted inspectors, other inspectorates and commissions and government departments such as the Department for Children, Schools and Families. It outlines in detail the arrangements and methodology for undertaking councils’ APAs which, this year, take place from September to November 2008.
The 2008 handbook sets out a number of changes to the APA process from 2007. For example, there is a reduction in how many key judgements inspectors will report on, resulting in a reduced number of core indicators and less data.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/assets/Internet_Content/Shared_Content/Files/2008/apr/apa_%20hb2008.pdf
