Ofsted's new report cards for schools are a pile of bollocks

[noblegiraffe]

Changes are being made to the way Ofsted reports school inspections. Instead of grading 4 areas Inadequate, Requires Improvement, Good and Outstanding (overall grade has already gone) they want to grade schools on 9 areas, Causing Concern, Attention Needed, Secure, Strong and Exemplary

There's a video here explaining how it will look

There aren't enough words to express how much additional work this is going to create for schools. How many extra middle management positions to cover leadership in each of the 9 areas. How many extra ring binders of evidence, learning walks, mock Ofsteds. How many education consultants writing books called 'How to get Exemplary in "Developing Teaching".'

Oh but parents will appreciate the extra information - sure, is a school that is strong in 5 areas and secure in 4 better or worse than one that's exemplary in 2, strong in 3, secure in 2 and requires attention in 2?

And how is deciding whether a school is secure or strong anything but subjective on the day? You hope for rigorous rubrics? No, there are fluffy grade descriptors that are hard to decipher.

To illustrate this, a quiz has been put together. Can you decide whether e.g.

A) "Leaders continually monitor the progress of their pupil premium strategy and make helpful and proactive adaptations, as appropriate"

is better or worse than

B) "Leaders make sure that the delivery of their pupil premium strategy is sustained and monitored effectively, including through ongoing training and support for staff"?

I got 2/5 correct... you can see if you can do any better here https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-quiz-can-you-spot-a-strong-rating-from-a-secure-one/

The government consultation is running till April https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education/improving-the-way-ofsted-inspects-education-consultation-document#proposal-1-report-cards

2/5 on that quiz too. Excellent teacher very glad not to be navigating this shit any more.

Deputy Head - I got 3/5... Very pleased we just had Ofsted!

I’m a headteacher who has taken four schools from special measures to good. I scored 3 🤣

They just love making extra work for public service workers, they really don't give a shit about the pressure teachers are under.

This country is ridiculous.

I’m a TA. I scored 4/5. I can see how it is confusing though.

3/5 Assistand Head and SENCO

crock of shit!

I got 2/5 too.

I don't agree with one word judgments, but don't want it replaced by something as complicated as the Duckworth-Lewis method.

What an absolute fucking joke

I scored 4/5 by closing my eyes. (Former MAT CEO - I know the enemy according to MN teachers! Now out of the sector thank God!!)

DH scored 5/5 - he’s a builder 🤣

3/5. Ta. Recently gone through an inspection.

I got 5/5. I don't work in a school but I do work in the public sector. You can identify the higher category through words like expertly, continually, immediately etc. I wouldn't be able to tell them apart without the comparative answer though and I do think it's very unhelpfully public sector corporate jargon ish.

I thought everyone hated the old ones?

I am a parent, but I’m not an idiot.

I only got 1/5.

The new framework is utterly bonkers. id love to know how much they spent coming up with it!

Surely getting rid of one-word ratings shouldn’t be replaced with 9-dimensional ratings. I thought the whole point was to reduce the misery for teachers! If you got the lowest ratings in over 6 areas, how would that be any better than being branded a failing school in the old system?

I don't necessarily disagree with Ofsted looking at all those areas, but the idea that they can come to a fine tuned judgement about each of them in a couple of days is balls, even if the rubric wasn't a pile of crap.

I also strongly object to the workload that will be created by chasing 'strong' and exemplary' which are already demonstrated to be entirely nebulous concepts.

Why not 'areas that are fine', 'areas that need a bit of work' and 'areas that need external intervention'?

Yes, which means it is astonishing that they've managed to come up with something that is even worse.

It's a very special skill they have!

3/5 and I'm a teacher who's been through several ofsteds 😂

3/5. Retired teacher with 40 years in the job under her belt.

I fail to see how any inspector can see enough in two days (much of it spent with the SLT rather than in classrooms) to find enough evidence to discriminate between any of the pairs of judgements in that quiz.

No! I thought that, but on the SEN one, teachers having expertise and knowledge to make well-judged adaptations wasn't as good as appropriate and well-judged adaptations being made.

They have almost certainly been written by an overpaid consultancy firm. That’s a) why they are nonsense and b) there is no clear way to distinguish between the buzz word bingo.

2 in 5 here.

I actually find one of the things most difficult about the proposal is they said anyone getting an amber in any if the areas will be subject to monitoring. I actually feel any school will be amber in one of so many areas. We will all end up being constantly monitored.

3/5
Middle Leader with SEND responsibility.

@noblegiraffe here’s a radical idea: why don’t they publish only a narrative description and NO summary ratings at all?

Instead, Ofsted could simply publish a report to the SLT/governors/academy board of the school and set the next date for Ofsted inspection sooner, to review areas of particular concern.

Already we have the situation “oh the Ofsted was ten years ago, it’s meaningless”.

And “oh, is that Outstanding under the old rating system or the newer one?”

And now we’ll have people trying to “add up” the new 9 assessments to get to a meaningful weighted answer so schools can be ranked. Of course it will happen!

In reality what is most important about Ofsted inspections, surely, is helping schools to improve and benchmark for their own sake.

Agreed. You can know something and still be shit at doing it (looking at you, dickhead colleague)

I got 5/5! I'm a school governor but also a public servant used to this sort of guff.

Really painful that Ofsted have responded to all the complaints that their system creates excessive workload by.... developing a new system that will generate EVEN MORE work.