If your child's school is OFSTED rated "outstanding"...

[Dacadactyl]

can you see why OFSTED have rated it so? Are you and your children happy with the school?

I've just seen some stuff on here that's made me wonder about it (high staff turnover in some schools, poor behaviour etc) because it is not my experience of the schools my children attend.

Is my experience of having kids in these schools typical, or do some of you dislike your child's "outstanding school"? And why?

Also, if you are a teacher at an "outstanding " school, are you happy teaching there?

Outstanding primary since 2012, from a parental role I see that I the staff truly care about the children and go above and beyond for families. They are fantastic at bringing children in reception of all different levels up to the same levels as their peers, working on each child’s individual needs, this is reflected throughout the school. Children are placed the the appropriate classes that benefit them rather than being forced to remain sat in the year cohort and struggle.

The school is very active in sports and teaching a healthy lifestyle without ridiculous rules on parents, the teachers all engage in this ethos and put in time for extra curricular activities.

It has a fantastic inclusive attitude, encouraging love, friendship and community including community activities, a group of children volunteers this week to bake cakes for a wider community heat hub this week being held at a local church for people struggling, last week was none uniform day and swimathon for a local children’s hospice.

Children are encouraged and celebrated for school and out of school achievements.

None of my children need SEN support but I know others do and I’ve never heard a complaint.

Teachers are visible and parents are actively encouraged to engage with t(sir children’s teachers.

Basically the children are very happy, staff care and bring out the best of the children, to me this makes the school outstanding. The fact they have a good academic record is just an added bonus.

My DCs attended secondary schools with ‘Outstanding’ grades. In both, the nature if the intake - rather than anything to do with the quality of teaching - was the major contributor to the grading, which in both cases was old enough to relate to the old primarily results-based Ofsted criteria

In one, teaching was lazy, self-satisfied and slipshod, relying on the ability of the pupils and the near absence of SEN to gain good results.

In the other, teaching was better (though somewhat patchy between subjects, with poor teaching not always being challenged). One of my DC was in a year group where behaviour was more challenging and prior attainment lower than the ‘historic norm’, and the school struggled to manage this, as they did not have procedures as robust as schools that faced this more regularly.

Were both schools good? Yes, they were both good, the second much better than the first. Were they genuinely ‘outstanding’ - ie head and shoulders above schools with similar intakes in similar socio-economic areas - no. Their grades - Ofsted and exam - were largely the result of their intakes and parental groups, not the educational they provided.

Their primary was Outstanding by the time the younger one left, based on the SATs results of the older one’s year group (now in their early 20s).

3 heads later, 2 leaving under slightly mysterious circumstances- still not reinspected. Is it still attracting parents based on that grade? Yes. Are they deluded? Yes. Do they still claim the school is ‘brilliant’? Yes, many do - it is very hard, on a human psychology level, to admit that something you have so actively ‘chosen’ might not be quite as good as you thought it was.

DD's former school has held outstanding for years (last inspection 2011) and no, I would be very surprised if they manage to hang onto it when they get inspected again. Her new 6th form has just been re-awarded outstanding and it is, in comparison.

Is the parent form that can be completed for Ofsted anonymous?

No idea, but I expect so. I didn't have a child there the last time OFSTED came in.

Perhaps a teacher can clarify?

The OFSTED parent questionnaire is anonymous.

Thanks

And the questionnaire belongs to OFSTED not the school if that makes sense. When OFSTED is in the school, there is also an option to write some text. The questionnaire itself is open all the time, don’t have to wait until OFSTED arrives

Mine is ‘outstanding’ and no I am not entirely happy with it.
I’m all for a well run, orderly school, but the discipline at ours is ridiculous.
My son and his friends are very anxious as they are constantly being ‘told off’ for the most minor of misdemeanours.
The school expects the children to be like small robots and there is very little nurturing or even fun.

Presumably school get to see all the comments, so some people are identifiable if specific issue is raised?

If you have an issue to raise then you should raise it, regardless of whether the school will know its you or not. I certainly would.

My dcs primary was Outstanding from 2007, and it truly was Outstanding! The head was amazing, and it was a true vocation for her, and it showed. New "career head from london" took over when she retired in 2015, and it went down hill almost instantly. 2 heads later, and it got marked down to Requires Improvement last year.

Dcs secondary is Outstanding but hasn't been inspected for over a decade. Would be very surprised if it held on to that status tbh.

One in an outstanding primary, one in a good primary. The outstanding primary has significantly better communication, in terms of how professional they are, timely, no careless mistakes etc. The head teacher in the outstanding school stands at the school entrance every morning, greeting parents and families, the staff all seemore professional and take things seriously and follow through. I've felt respected as a parent and involved.

In the good school the communication is all over the place, newsletters are late, emails are full of grammatical errors, they regularly spell my child's name wrong, before head teacher never shows their face, they change systems for communication endlessly, I can't trust them when it comes to administering medications and inhalers etc. The curriculum is dry, the playground equipment is non existent. I just feel constantly frustrated with their lack of effort.

I have wondered if it is an outstanding Vs good school thing or just anecdotal.