To be absolutely dreading tomorrow

What has your school been graded as op?

How did it go, @Oakwoodtrees ?

Just out of interest-when did you get the call-did the BH mean they rang you last Friday? Did you know they could ring on a Friday?

This.
Good luck 👍 and don't worry 😉.

Cannot believe they’re inspecting during SATs week!!
How did it all go, OP?

You just need to do a bit of EFT tapping, will calm you and give you the clarity of him that will help you swim through it. Good luck!

My DD's school also have OFSTED in this week, immensely unfair on top of SATs week, really feel for all the staff and the headteacher.
However, I also have every faith in all of them as I know our school is brilliant. I know it's easy to say that from the outside though!

I am not a teacher but had a similar inspection in a health care setting and was just open and honest ( also dreaded the visit !!) , approached in that we can use this inspection as a learning tool to improve made my notes reminded them that we have our day to day workload to contend with and alway ensure the safety of our clients and staff ! Please don’t let this visit stress you it’s really not worth your health and well-being. I am not sure how you do your inspection but buddy up with a few colleagues if you can share the stress it will make it so much easier and less pressurised, GOOD LUCK 🤞I will be thinking of you xx

Can definitely relate. I worked for the Government and we would have big inspections of our department and individual jobs. I absolutely dreaded going to the WEEK they were there. Keep dreaded we would flunk or my area would flunk. All said and done we passed with flying colors. You will too.

Hope everything went OK OP. Update when you can.

I'm not close to the profession, out of curiosity, does anyone close to the profession know if there were any lessons learned/reviewed guidance for ofsted after Ruth Perry (the headteacher who sadly ended her life)? I would hope there would have been some investigation.

Ofsted inspections suck. As long as the staff are happy and the pupils are happy and thriving, you are doing your best. It’ll all be over soon enough and you can breathe again. Good luck and look forward to the gin and tonic when the over.

I hate Ofsted. I was so relieved I was on my first aid course when they visited nursery but will have to face them at some stage.
The things we can get marked down for are ridiculous. Even not signing a memo can get you marked down.
We need a better system.

Sending best wishes to you and your school. Having worked in a school I know how absolutely nerve wracking this is. Take a deep breath and continue to tell yourself your school is fabulous, which I’m sure it is. It will soon be over. Sending you prayers for a good result. X

You do an amazing job, just remember that, breath and count to 100 before dealing with them. Good luck I am sure you will be OK.

It is possible. My daughter's primary academy has Ofsted in today and tomorrow.

Why does your daughter’s school having a perfectly standard phone call on a Tuesday for a Wednesday/Thursday inspection mean that a phone call on a Bank Holiday Monday (or the Friday before) for a Tuesday/Wednesday visit is plausible?!

I know that some schools had a Friday call the week before the strikes in March but this was highly irregular and Ofsted even announced they would be doing it in advance. I have never known them to do this due to a Bank holiday.

@Mysa74 what has happened in your school is normal. The phone call will be the day before inspectors come in. That is why posters were querying how the phone call for OP’s school was on Bank Holiday Monday. Your school’s phone call was on Tuesday

It is possible. My daughter's primary academy has Ofsted in today and tomorrow. The head sent emails out very early yesterday morning saying they'd been notified and could parents follow a link to fill in questionnaires and get their children to do children's ones asap.

Have been through so many ofsteds and now on side of contributing to ofsted as a governor. Please know, as you say, you run a good school and they will see that. I know it's criteria judgement and box ticking but it also has a lot to do with the feeling of the school, feedback from students etc. Yes we always feel the worst, ie unpredictable behaviour, but that's the reality of the children we care for and how it's dealt with that is the focus, which of course you know. It's an unfair system which makes already stressed staff fearful of a snippet judgement. I remember the old days of week long ofsted and being observed every day, it was hard but also positive as they saw the positive and had to some some advoce (eg you could change your display every lesson). Best of luck, never easy 👍

Just remember that the inspectors are people too - mostly ex-teachers. Knowing several I know how hard they work to do a good job for the kids and for the schools they visit. The have their job to do and they have to do it within the rules but they are not out to get you personally. Try and take a mental step back.

And, if the worst comes to the worst and you've tripped up over some admin thing that is one of the automatic downgrades - then again, it is not you, it is the system. Hard not to take it personally when you put your heart and soul into your school but you really do have to try and get a bit of distance in your head for your own sake. And remember hundreds of schools have had issues since inspections strated up again. There is less professional embarrassment now over a down grade than 5 years ago because it has happened to so very many. You're not alone and you and the school will be ok.

I am not saying if problems emerge that there will not be some difficulties or a bit more stress but you're an expereicned professional, you'll deal with it, you'll support your staff and you'll be absolutely fine. Don't make it more than it is - just a routine inspection among thousands every year.

You know what I meant!

Why do they warn you, knowing that everyone tarts everything up causing way more stress, rather than turning up and seeing it as it actually is?

’tarting things up’ wouldn’t help for OFSTED. It’s a much deeper look than that.

My partners AP gets inspected far more regularly than every 4/5 years and they are a tiny team with a 3-1 ratio of pupils to staff. SO stressful.

I never understand inspections, it was the same with EHO when I worked with food. Always get a heads up. Why do they warn you, knowing that everyone tarts everything up causing way more stress, rather than turning up and seeing it as it actually is? It makes no sense to me. Although if everyone agreed that Ofstead did nothing of value and actually caused harm by bigging up schools that had a personal connection somehow then maybe they'd drop it? You'd have thought that monetary rewards would go to the worst schools anyway in a bid to make them better.

Hope it all goes well anyway.

I completely understand- been there! Just get through the day, keep smiling . Support your staff. Be accessible to the f@ckers. Their job will hopefully be deleted in the near future. They add very little good and increase stress needlessly. Cost a fortune and understand little. SATs week as well! Shows minimal sensitivity despite what their leader says.

The post is dated 8th (Monday). School would have received ‘the call’ on Monday and then inspectors are in 1 or 2 days.

On Bank holiday Monday?

The post is dated 8th (Monday). School would have received ‘the call’ on Monday and then inspectors are in 1 or 2 days.
Glad it went well. I’m a retired primary headteacher and went through 7 (or 8) Ofsteds. No one really understands the pressure and intensity of an inspection on the head, particularly as any criticism is so personal as it’s your school. Enjoy the rest of the term and enjoy feeling that you (hopefully) won’t see them again for 4/5 years.