How much weight do you give to ofsted reports?

[RoseGoldEagle]

We’re looking to move house for DH’s work. My eldest is a fair few years off secondary yet, but we obviously need to consider schools when we’re looking. DH says we should buy near an outstanding ofsted school- but is this really the be all and end all? Is there that huge a difference between ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’? I always wonder if the criteria for ‘outstanding’ has a very academic leaning and misses some important points like pastoral care and overall feel of the place (I could be completely wrong, I honestly don’t know). We don’t live near the area at the minute so can’t go on word of mouth or even visit schools (not sure that’s even possible with Covid really). I guess I’m just wondering what else I can use to inform my opinion of secondary schools other than ofsted- it is that really the main criteria most people use?

Ofsted of course carry some weight. But....look at when the outstanding report was done....as schools change over time and the Ofsted criteria have changed - so outstanding from 8 years ago might only get a good now.....

Also remember that the most challenged schools have the most input to improve.

Schools go up and down.....so be sure that you love the house and the area too.

We did use school catchments to base our choice of house on....but I loved quite locally and went to open evenings before deciding and took account of parental opinions. We went with a good school that parents rated and i liked at the open evening rather than the outstanding school (Although had a house come up in that catchment it would have been ok too.)

Between good and outstanding I wouldn't worry too much and would check the date of last observation. Outstanding schools get inspected less frequently- some can go a decade between proper inspections- and a lot can happen in that timeframe.

.....so they have a local 'mums page' on face book? You could get some opinions on there.

Absolutely none. word of mouth is more important and how you feel when you visit a setting.

Closest secondary to us was well below average in ofsted reports. Many friends sent their dc to the better school a couple of miles away and were a bit shocked we didn’t.

DS got all A grades apart from one C, at GCSE in French, he hated doing French and announced he would never study for it and do the bare minimum which is what he did.

Unless a school is really unsafe with a horrendous bullying culture or appalling teachers then children can do well anywhere. It’s all about the natural capability levels of the child and bringing out their best and support at home. We knew that and didn’t fret. MIL was appalled and offered to pay school fees which we declined, we could afford them anyway. We knew our child well enough.

People have different skill sets, we need to nurture children and hope that whatever skills they have can be encouraged.

DH is a Professor and I was an academic librarian who taught library and research skills back in the day when the internet was just a baby and people actually had to make a concerted effort to find out information. Maybe our professions made us more confident in our decision and less fretful.

None. Our local village school a 10 minute walk away was Outstanding and oversubscribed. We didn't get in and instead were offered a place at another school further away in Special Measures. We were really worried but went to visit the school anyway and we loved it. DS was very happy there and within a few years the school was rated Good. Meanwhile the Outstanding village school has been Requires Improvement for the last couple of years.

@Mumdiva99

.....so they have a local 'mums page' on face book? You could get some opinions on there.

No one on our local facebook page ever says anything bad about local schools when asked for the lo-down - it's all too public and they are too middle class to make a fuss in public. They'll be tripping over each other to say how amazing they think the school is - the reality is quite different, I'm never quite sure whether these parents have low standards, are utterly deluded or have just maybe they have been very lucky in their experience.

I wouldn't worry so much about Good or Outstanding. It's the areas of strength and focus, especially in our case with a child with SNs who needs academically stretching, and nurturing pastoral support.

OFSTED doesn't give much away about the actual personality of a school, which matters and to some children more than others.

As pp says, check the dates. One local oversubscribed school was rather outstanding, well over a decade ago. I'm sure it's perfectly fine but I don't think you can trust a judgement that old. DD's school is Good, graded recently under the new framework. Much more reliable.

If it's years until your dc goes, it may change a lot. While my dc was in primary, the secondary they go to had dire reputation, and a lot of parents were talking about sending somewhere else, some even moved for that reason.

Now the HT has changed few years back, and the school is great. All the online work during lock down was fantastic. The teachers are so passionate and engaging.

Not much. I worked at a RI school for a time , then moved to an outstanding one. The staff at both schools were dedicated , experienced and nurturing. The happiness of the children was equal , the work was of the same standard.

The biggest difference for me was that it was very stressful working at the RI school as inspections and 'learning walks' were so frequent. Staff were happier in general at the outstanding school.

Just to say , the RI school ended up with that rating due to issues with the slt and some inconsistencies with the data over a period of a few years.

I always wonder if the criteria for ‘outstanding’ has a very academic leaning and misses some important points like pastoral care and overall feel of the place (I could be completely wrong, I honestly don’t know).

You sound like you’ve never read an Ofsted report. Perhaps you could check the ones for the schools you’re considering so you know what they look at.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/compare-schools

That’s a very useful website with a lot of stats.

Other than that, it’s worth looking at the co-curricular provision or whatever might be relevant to your child, eg music or languages if that’s what they’re good at.

I think it is one input into decision making.
Good v Outstanding I wouldn't worry about.
Look at the date of the report - schools can change a lot and some Outstanding schools haven't been re-inspected for years.
Sometimes a rating is for something that you don't care about. e.g. our old primary school didn't push the high achievers enough - our children weren't in that group so it wasn't relevant.

Definitely don't just look at the overall grade though, if you are using Ofsted then actually read the report!

My son's school is outstanding, but it was last inspected in 2012! Therefore the report is useless in my opinion as so much will have changed in the intervening eight years.

Outstanding schools previously were not reinspected once they gained the Outstanding rating. Out local outstanding primary hasn’t been inspected for over 12 years!!!!

So check the date of review, as others say. Then read the report. The report on the outstanding secondary near us was eye opening - talkEd about poor teaching, bullying etc yet still got outstanding. The good secondary had a glowing report yet still Only managed good.

Gut feel when visiting, talking to other parents, what is the right fit for your child. How do the pupils behave outside school. All these things add to your research If you are not at secondary age yet, an awful lot could change in those few years, especially if the head changes.

We moved here as the secondary school was outstanding, then 6 months before Dc1 was secondary age it got marked down to good, so that can happen. Find out what people think of the Head Teacher, they are key to any school- sadly the good HT at our school left and the new one is not so good. DC1 had to move school due to bullying and MH problems. However DC2 just finished 6th form there and did fine- he got ABB at A levels.
Ofsted ratings are a very blunt instrument and not the be all and end all. There must be a huge range of quality of schools within each category. Home environment and attitude to learning of the DC are very important to outcomes as well.

Agree. The school I have worked in have gone from Requires Improvement to oversubscribed Outstanding in about 8 years. It was a great place to be long before the official judgement.

I think there are lots of factors to consider beyond the rating.

I agree that “word of mouth” is useful and also getting a feel for the culture of the school - and - I am really sorry to say this - the demographic.

I agree the difference between outstanding and good may be nothing at all. I witnessed an Ofsted inspection at my dc school and so much seems to be a paperwork exercise.

I found speaking privately to parents helpful, especially those with kids at more than one secondary school.

I agree that to a small extent a motivated child will do well anywhere. However, I think the biggest factor is how the families of the pupils value education and therefore how much they support school on discipline etc. The biggest factor preventing good teaching is discipline. Also, a chaotic home life is reflected at school.

It's difficult for you to get information as you don't know anyone there yet. You could walk by the schools at the beginning /end of the day, that's quite telling - behaviour, uniform etc. You could also ask to speak to Head although that depends on how far away admission may be.