School Ofsted Inspection reform is absolute bollocks

[noblegiraffe]

So after the long campaign to get rid of the Outstanding grade post the suicide of Ruth Perry, they have merely renamed it 'Exceptional'.

Good is now Strong Standard
They've reinstated the old Satisfactory as Expected Standard.
Requires Improvement and Inadequate are now Needs Attention and Urgent Improvement

As currently, schools will not get a headline grade but will be assessed in 6 areas against these grades. Safeguarding will be separate and 'met' or 'not met'.

The areas are curriculum and teaching, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, achievement, personal development and wellbeing, and leadership and governance.

"Schools deemed to require significant improvement - judged as “urgent improvement” in any evaluation area or “not met” in safeguarding - will receive up to five extra inspections within 18 months.
Schools that are judged to require special measures - graded as “urgent improvement” in leadership and governance or “not met” in safeguarding, and given the lowest grade in at least one other evaluation area - will receive up to six inspections within 24 months."

Workload, workload, workload. This is going to be awful.

Inspections start in November.

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/ofsted-first-report-card-inspections-voluntary

I don’t disagree with you, but surely the same is true of many professional jobs?

The biggest group leaving teaching is women in their thirties, it's a known problem. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51yzv95wg9o

I'm not saying that other jobs are great for working mothers but teaching is particularly inflexible around working hours which makes finding childcare extremely difficult. Part time working is also rarer in teaching than in other professions because of schools' resistance to managing it reasonably. You'd think that the holidays would be a big draw for teaching mothers but instead there's an exodus. And we know that in term time, working is incredibly intense with lots of hours outside the classroom that are incompatible with the needs of young children.

I’m a parent with no experience of working in education, but I’m sorry to all you wonderful teachers that this does not seem like much of a reform.

I feel maybe more invested than most as my eldest child started reception last week. The school was rated outstanding a decade ago, but in May was found to be inadequate in most areas. Parents with children at the school have mainly said positive things, but I’m very worried about the impact this judgement will have on the school, the teachers and, of course, the children. A new SLT has been parachuted in, but there must be enormous pressure on the staff and I’m sure parents will not be listing the school as a preference for starting reception next year. A downward spiral seems inevitable.

I will say the changes I like, are inclusion, and attendance being set individual categories

All I can see happening here is SENCo-who are often not SLT, not paid any extra for the role, don't have a budget and are trying to do the best they possibly can with virtually no budget-will feel personally responsible for that 'inclusion' grade when it's almost entirely out of their hands what they can achieve. The SEND money pot is woeful. Yes, it should be a whole school responsibility, but there's enough heads and MAT CEOs out there quite happy to throw the SENCo under the bus. Expect to see lots of them leaving, burnt out or worse and nobody wanting to fill their shoes.

Having Inclusion: 'Urgent Improvement needed' on your report will quite possibly be the last straw for people working their socks off on a shoestring, to still be told it's not good enough and they can expect 5 more Ofsteds visits to come and check up on them over the next 18 months.

Yes I don't support that, but that's also down to parents and SLTs particularly in MATs. They feed into the idea that everyone must be exceptional, and then so do SLTs using it as the main selling point and it's just a loop.
Ofsted have said that it will be a few dozen exceptional schools which are meant to help other schools learn from them, and yet watch as every school tries and puts pressure on staff to be one. That doesn't make sense, some of it is down to the sector, and some Ofsted. We should have inspections which are based on helping, and working with schools to improve.

In my ideal world, you'd be able to say to them, our current biggest issue is x, let's say developing curriculum which build on each year. You'd then actually get proper advice and practical steps from inspectors to help, I mean what's the point of them being in teaching or ex-teachers if they don't draw on some of their knowledge. To be honest, I think (with more funding and staff), I'd want it to not just be headteachers but teachers right across roles on inspection teams, I'd want teachers who were recently ECTs, and middle management and understand what it's like etc. I've gone back and forth with whether I think Ofsted should be abolished and start again, or fix it from the ground up, I support inspections, I think schools have such an important job that we can't have them not be inspected but not like this.

I think the biggest thing I'd want right now, is massive re-training of inspectors etc, and a whole new philosophy towards inspections. IMO it doesn't matter if the framework is changed if inspectors still have fixed and unrealistic ideas of what a school should be like. I don't think that getting a bunch of teachers to run clubs even necessarily meets ideas of personal development, it would be better measured by looking at opportunities for students to get involved, school councils which can actually do things in the school, kids running clubs for younger children, sessions or workshops about resilience, etc. I do think there's some negative word association with Ofsted in the sector, and I think it's done so much damage that perhaps even if it was reformed it would still have those associations, but it's always a balance. When you think about it, an inspection should make you a little nervous, you know like before a presentation, you want to do your best and show how good you are, but it's gone wayyy to far, and doesn't help the 3 groups its meant to. I'm happy deep dives are being ended, the pressure of finding out with so little time that your department is having a deep dive doesn't work.

True but all the things you listed are wrong, and shouldn't be the norm - but they are made the norm in schools, some of that is down to the sectors attitude or what is important and what's not. SENCO should be am SLT position, the money pot for it should be increased (both by government and in schools with MATs etc). But in many schools they have policies which literally hurt SEN students, they have staff ignoring SEN needs, they have little to no training on it. That needs to be called out, and if needed MAT leadership should be called up on it. Some staff are working so hard and not being the tools to do well, in some schools they actually don't care and have policies which just harm SEN students and other students as well. These attitudes have become normalised in some ways. Maybe a requires improvement inclusion judgement may impress the need on the to care about it, for those schools or MAT leaderships who have literally chosen to not fund it - not the schools with no money who have no choice (I'm not talking about them, they often are trying so much harder with less). Even in schools with money, they put it into paying for consultants etc (in trusts) rather than into getting LSAs.

Some of the inital Ofsted changes from 1980s did make schools care (way too much) about grades, they made schools focus (again too much and a byproduct of this was hurting teachers and students wellbeing). Maybe something similar can happen with inclusion, but as I said only if its judged from a lens of proper long-term interventions to help those who struggle with attedance, things like poverty, and SEN and MH and disability and not just rewards for 100% or having the attendance rates higher than the national average. Again for some of the other sections, I'd want within leadership for them to be looking at whether staff are included in decisions, or are they micromanaged, how is wellbeing of staff, do SLT and teachers work together or against each other. I'd want that to be a key part of how schools are judged because I think they are very important, and schools get away with doing them way to often and then being praised for leadership.

Also just to say the inclusion section, will also include things like MH, BAME kids and the curriculum etc, which again I think schools have slept on for a while. Also I know this is not all schools fault, the government and funding have a major role to play. Well see what the SEND review and curriculum and assessment review bring.

Ofsted should be supportive rather than punitive, it might actually be useful then.

With respect though, coroners can only look at the specific case in front of them. They have no skills or experience in education or inspection systems to draw up a process that has to work for the country as a whole.

It is impossible to develop a system that removes all stress from teachers, as there are some schools which are poor and need to be identified.

There is already very high inequality between schools in different areas. That would only be made worse if inspections are downgraded.

It is impossible to develop a system that removes all stress from teachers,

I don't think any teacher, head union member or parent has ever suggesting this is the aim.

The unions don’t want any inspection system though, so they will never be satisfied with what is proposed.

That’s not true though.

e.g. https://neu.org.uk/abolish-ofsted

even when calling for Ofsted to be abolished “to call on the Secretary of State to delay Ofsted’s proposals and work with the profession to create a new system – one that is supportive, effective and fair.”

The unions’ idea of supportive and fair though is not in tune with education experts or parents.

They want to remove grading altogether so that parents cannot tell how good their local schools are, and failing schools are able to continue letting children down.

I’m not convinced that Ofsted’s new proposals are in tune with education experts, which of course includes headteachers who are overwhelmingly against the new framework.

But the expertise of the people actually working within the system is always overlooked.

If you genuinely think that a small team of inspectors can reliably and accurately grade a school between 5 different grades in 6 different areas, while also inspecting safeguarding over a few days then I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

Again, of course headteachers are not going to support high levels of accountability and transparency for schools.

I have a bridge to sell you if you believe headteachers can have a neutral and independent view on this.

Ofsted inspections are far from perfect. However, I do believe that a skilled team of inspectors can produce a sensible analysis of a school’s strengths and weaknesses over a number of days, yes.

We know they can’t even objectively grade a lesson.

Listing strengths and weaknesses is very different to assigning a grade.

That doesn’t mean that their views should be dismissed out of hand.

You seem to think that their views are merely “I don’t wanna”

Which education experts?
The ones that have never been in a classroom, or those that left the classroom to write BS books about behaviour (Dix I am looking squarely at you you decisive prat and others of his ilk)?

As for what parents want, which parents are you going to choose?
The ones that want uniform, rules, homework etc. or those that want don't?

In the days pre Ofsted the school had an attached inspector. His or her job was to support and familiarise themselves with the school. The emphasis was on support but was replaced with fear of criticism and inspections by those who had no real knowledge of the school or the staff. Judgements are made on short term observations and tick sheets.

I think though that a way, a small way (not enough) for getting back to that is that they'll he one Inspector whose meant to have a long-term relationship with one member of SLT, who will work with the Inspector team. I think we should get back to the Inspector being more involved with the school as a whole - knowing them and working with a few schools to improve based on supportive expertise but that some inspectors will have 'fresh eyes' to ensure neutrality and that people's work is checked. However, it would need more work in logistics with the amount of schools and also MATs as well.

I think you’re spot on with this.

I’m currently looking for a secondary school for my eldest. We’re not bound by catchment because she has an EHCP and due to my job I am more than familiar with the phased transfer and consulting with Secondary schools process.

Whats the first thing our local authority advised me to do when considering which school/s to put down for our parental preference?

“Read the Ofsted reports!”

I mean, I will read them. But I’m fully aware that they’re just a brief snapshot and not anything to base a decision on! I’ll be basing on my decision on how I feel about the school when I go and look around and when I meet the SENDCo, if the staff and children seem happy and enthusiastic, what the general environment feels like. What’s the staff turnover like, if that information is available (or known by parents!) too. High staff turnover is never good. That’s all far more important than anything an Ofsted report says.

Other families who I help to support though don’t know this. I regularly have to tell SEND parents that they cannot base their decision to name a school as a preference on the fact that the school may have an Outstanding Ofsted report from three years ago. It’s more important to put your ear to the ground (in the SEND world), find other parents whose children attend and see how they feel and more importantly go and visit the school to see for yourself!

No, parents shouldn’t be naming and shaming on social media it’s almost never constructive. But information sharing amongst parents is key where there are EHCPs and so no catchment restrictions. It’s just sensible and genuinely helpful to build a local network if possible that isn’t plastered publicly on social media where opinions and experiences can be shared freely.

Yes, the recent spate of Outstanding schools who got moved to Inadequate and then to Good in short course demonstrates that even if you believe that an Ofsted grade is accurate for the day it was recorded, it certainly may not be accurate the day you read the report.

However, I do believe that a skilled team of inspectors can produce a sensible analysis of a school’s strengths and weaknesses over a number of days, yes.

I do not and I have been through countless Ofsteds.

The last two, we had one inspector only each time, to inspect our infant school. The most recent was inspected by a secondary humanities teacher who had never taught in a primary school let alone KS1 or early years. He did not have a clue what phonics was and was obsessed with looking at our geography plans. He was there for a day and a half (not 'days') and there was no 'team'.

It was fine (he wrote the most bland and generic report) and he went away again, but he absolutely was not able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our school and we had no faith in his judgement being reliable, we just breathed a sigh of relief that he went away happy.

It's unreliable and random who walks through the door-you might get a 'skilled team', chances are you won't-it's a total luck of the draw, but when that can lead to an academy conversation, job losses, destroyed mental health and suicide, it's too big a risk for teachers, to be a fluke who you get.

Ofsted is not a credible institution. If they could t get single word judgements right reliably, they certainly aren't going to be able to manage it with all these separate areas.

I’m sorry, but I cannot see how you believe an Ofsted inspection carried out by a team of experts over a number of days isn’t a reliable reflection of a school; yet are willing to make a judgement based on a 30 minute tour of what a school wants you to see.

Of course happiness is one aspect that a school should be judged on, but it it can’t be the only one. I’m sure DC would be delighted if a school let them chat and watch TikTok all day- wouldn’t be a great education though!