MN Code of Practice For Private Schools

Sorry, I should have added that they have to inspect boarding facilities at all schools as well as FS.

No, Ofsted is not obliged to inspect anything other than the FS but some schools teaching older children have invited Ofsted in to give voluntary inspections, as a way of benchmarking with the maintained sector (and usually coming out very well).

Some of that initial list is good but the point is that parents choose schools which may be different from the norm. I was delighted when Summer Hill won it's high court case (chidlren not forced to attend lessons) because I think parents should have that choice just as they can have the choice to go to North London C where my daughter went which is a different kind of education to you decide if you turn up to lessons and need not do exams and just as say the Purcell school (private music) is different again or the private muslim school near me etc etc.

Private schools are however subject to the law, to CRB checks and sadly now to imposed state subjects to age 5 which is a terrible change we must get overturned.

Schools should be able to throw out children at 16 who do badly in GCSE. If there are hundreds of children clamouring for sixth form places and a teenager hasn't done an iota of work for 3 years I don't see why the school should keep them.

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Only for foundation stage, boffin.

The inspection body for independent schools is the ISI. These reports are also published.

BTW many independent schools are inspected by Ofsted, and it's usually a good idea for marketing purposes, as they often tend to do pretty well. If the school doesn't do well in an Ofsted inspection, then you have to ask what's going on.

I actually agree in some regards, but think that some of the PGCE/teacher compentency framework is a bit tick box. However I do appreciate that this helps it to be more reliable as a benchmark of some kind of basic level teaching capability.

I think the PGCE helps teachers accommodate different types of pupil more effectively, and handle discipline issues, both of which are important in all types of school. Not all pupils are compliant high achievers, even if they have passed Common Entrance, and I think teachers have a moral contract to work with what they have, not what they think they'd like the pupils to be. For that reason I would be reluctant to see the PGCE go.

A bit of me would like the ISJC to start its own parallel teacher training programme, perhaps in conjunction with the College of Teachers, so we had an alternative model to the TDA/state school one.

Anyway, back to guidelines ...

really/ oh right

Private schools can be inspected through ofsted, ds's old school was, as was the hole near us.

it wouldnt be ofsted bunnoid
itwoudl be a private one

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The local private school had a dire ofsted a couple of years ago with serious failings, it was in the newspaper and parents pulled their children out in droves. There's a handful of children there now, they get free rent on the building, one full time teacher and a couple of ones that only come in to teach one lesson, I've no idea how they are still managing to keep going.

sorry should haev put a ? atfer first sentence!

oh and private schools all ask for the checks and are rigorous in safeguarding - rember state schools go into special measures if ONE is not up to date.....

tehre is the GTC too - no idea though if private schools do that

They all have to be CRB checked now though, surly they will fail the checks if there has been a problem with them??

i tell you why id like them to be trained
becuase if nad when they assault kids they can be traced and barred from teaching.

and i think that teachers can be trained in different teaching styles. its not just stand and talk you know...

Bloss, I'm not convinced you've got much knowledge about what's covered in the typical PGCE these days. It's certainly not reams and reams of educational theory, and this has been the case since the 1980s. A lot of people actually train on the job through the Graduate Teacher Programme, and those that don't spend a great deal of time in schools observing practice and teaching under supervision. In fact it's getting more and more like medical training in that respect.

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What on earth's wrong with teaching qualifications?

Some of the absolute worst teachers I have seen have been unqualified members of staff in independent schools who have an inflated opinion of their own abilities, because they're so snobbish they think nothing of worth ever happens in maintained schools. They're also very good at blaming pupils for not working rather than examining their own professional practice. Very dangerous, that sort of attitude.

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What about if you found out your children's school had ended up paying its female staff 2/3 of what it paid its male staff for work of equal value, for example, and that it was suddenly having to find huge amounts of back pay for women staff after an equal opps tribunal? Or that the school had been sold behind your back without you realising, to a proprietor you had doubts about? Or that the new Sports Hall it had just built almost put it into receivership? Sometimes these things can result in rapid closure of a school with 400 pupils all looking for alternatively places locally at the same time. Adherence to guidelines and codes of practice can mean avoiding such extreme scenarios, which is much better for people's children (all these are based on RL situations I have witnessed, BTW).

I don't see any reason to impose my ideas on another school. If the parents of the children at another school are happy, then why should I care or interfere?

I have been very lucky to choose my DCs school - an advantage unavailable to the majority. I love it. DCs love it. Why should someone else impose rules upon it from on high?
That was one of the reasons I avoided state school.

If you're unahppy vote with your feet - so very many are not lucky enough to have the choice.