To think that when OFSTED come and visit a school

[RosieAndGin]

It's a bit convenient to pick the same two days to send all the headstrong naughty children on a team building exercise away from school or do all schools do this?

[MercurySoccer]

Have any of you mentioned these things to Ofsted at all?

[gingeroots]

Maybe ninah means that she would avoid teaching in an "outstanding" school because of all the stress ,jumping through hoops required to keep its status ?

[EveryonesJealousOfGingers]

I'm intrigued too. It's a minefield!

[MangoTango]

Why ninah? (Just intrigued. :) )

[ninah]

I'd probably avoid an 'outstanding' school if I was looking now, tbh

[ninah]

Our school is due for the call now-ish and you wouldn't believe the panic. I only wish similar efforts were made for the sake of current pupils

[EveryonesJealousOfGingers]

"Anyone that judges a school on the basis of their Ofsted alone is definitely not getting the full picture!" - but Penguin73 unless you have some inside knowledge of the school, how else can you judge it? We are currently house hunting and the first criterion is a decent school for DD (now only 15mo). I am lucky to have a couple of teacher friends but if they can't tell me about a school I really am flying blind. This thread is making me and - help!

[HSMM]

I am a Childminder and I do admit to making sure my own DD was out of the house if possible when Ofsted came. This was only while she was going through her toddler tantrum stage and would probably have done something dreadful and thrown a huge paddy. A friend of mine advised this after her own DD bit her inspector! She has now grown a bit more sensible, but I would never hide or exclude any of the other children. The inspector is welcome to see them, warts and all. Like someone else said ... it's how we deal with the difficult children that counts.

(and always read between the lines on an Ofsted report)

[gingeroots]

Ds's school sent their tricky/disruptive pupils out on a day trip when Ofsted visited .
It's an Inner London school so perhaps venues and transport are easier .
As parents we are asked to sign a disclaimer giving permission for any outing that year ,reason given ,saves getting individual permission slips signed for trips .

[maddy68]

I have never worked in a school where 'trips' were suddenly arranged! It is a logistical nightmare arranging any trip and to be honest when orders give their two day notice they have other things to worry about. How could they send letters home, do the rsk assessments, order coaches etc
I would bet that the trip you have mentioned was already planned.
Ofsted also like to see some poor behaviour as they want to see if it is dealt with effectively or not.

[eggsit]

For these short inspections, much of the inspection is based on data and progress.

Observations of teachers are done to validate the headteacher's report (SEF).

Inspectors will look at the provision being made for the SEN children, and the progress they are making. Whether they are out of the classroom or not is pretty irrelevant.

It is extremely unlucky that a residential trip could be arranged in 2 days, particularly as residential visits have to have risk assessments verified by county. I think this is a lucky coincidence that will show the inspectors that the school is making provision (team-building exercise) for the children with behavioural problems.

[QuietTiger]

Lucyinthepie - without outing the school in question, the Head Teacher was & is VERY well connected within the GTCW. And I'm not just talking about "knowing people there". How he managed it, I don't know, but it actually happened.

[Lucyinthepie]

It doesn't though. It's how they deal with the child that counts to the inspector.

[SacreLao]

My son's school do this :(

He has severe special needs and is a handfull at the best of times, we are asked to keep him home during Ofsted visits. They say the reason behind this is because it will disrupt him routine and cause chaos as he cannot handle this. In actual fact it's simply because the child twirling away in the corner and kicking all new visitors makes them look bad.

[Lucyinthepie]

Then I would contact Ofsted and tell them if I was concerned, seriously, that is what I would do.

[RosieAndGin]

Dd is 15, on Friday no trip was arranged, on Monday selected pupils were given forms to go on a team building exercise Wed & Thurs, same day OFSTED is due in, yes the kids are gossiping about it, but in all honesty it really doesn't take much working out.

[MaureenMLove]

How did DD hear that that is what the school had done OP? Did the head teacher announce it in assembly?

In my experience, the gossip grape vine soon gets into full flow! We had a teacher recently, who didn't turn up for a school trip, which was leaving at 6am and couldn't be reached. By the time I got there at 7am and students had started to arrive at 8, the gossip was, he was out on the lash the night before and was found slumped in a gutter. He was, in fact, in a diabetic coma at home.

Anyway, that aside, when Ofsted visited us last, we had two days notice and the only thing that was unusual, was that not one member of staff called in sick or went off for a meeting somewhere!

[Lucyinthepie]

"A particular school I worked in as a teacher, inner-city comp with 18% A-C GCSE pass rate sent 75 of its most disruptive pupils on a weeks "adventure training & team building course". Oddly enough, it was the week OFSTED were in. Oddly enough, the school got good OFSTED results."
I would be seriously interested to work out how any school could organise a week's adventure training within 2 days. I don't believe it could have happened like that. More likely the trip was organised before the school got their 2 day's warning of the inspection.

[Lucyinthepie]

I have worked with many schools over the past few years. They get 2 days notice of an Ofsted inspection, so would be going it a bit to arrange for a large cohort to be off-site for the 2-day inspection, and I have never experienced it. I think that the inspector would be quite experienced enough to spot that a significant group of children were missing to be honest.
It is not necessary for a school to be "outstanding" in 100% of everything in order to be judged Outstanding - another myth bites the dust. Lessons judged to be outstanding are actually quite rare.
At a school I know the Ofsted inspector bent down to speak to a pupil and was told to "fuck off". The inspector was impressed by how the staff handled the situation, the school got Outstanding.

[Birdsgottafly]

Ishani-if the bully wasn't picked up on and expelled it wouldn't affect the Ofstead report. Likewise if the school didn't apply for better pastoral care, to teach social skills, then it would seem like there were no problems. If the bully was expelled the Ofstead rport would drop down a notch so it really doesnt make sense. Schools can cover up problems to appear to be better. Whereas schools that are addressing the problem can be seen to be failing.

[lazarusb]

Well they get us warts and all in our school. Why not? Inclusion should be inclusive on EVERY day the school is open. Surely OFSTED expect challenging and SEN children to be there?

[Ishani]

Oh well that's ok then that some rotten little bully can ruin the chances of my friends son providing he ends up a local employer and offers him a job at a later date, what strange logic.

[Birdsgottafly]

Thebeansmum-thank you, also secondary schools can easily look to be doing well because they don't allow all of the pupils to sit the GCSE or equivalent exam. The same schools also do not always redirect the pupils elsewhere for training. Not all children can achieve good results, obviously this should be strived for if possible, there are schools aren't seen to be as good as others because of the catchment area or the additional needs of the pupils, they don't 'perform' on a par with others but the school and the staff are doing an excellent job. The new work experience and day release to collage scheme (not available everywhere) is a good alternative for some children but it makes the schools rating drop down on the Ofstead report.

[FunnyBumbleBee]

Well, it might be true in other places, but we didn't do it! I teach SEN 'nurture' group in disadvantaged area etc etc... and was watched doing so by Ofsted at 38 weeks pregnant. Teaching a lesson with Ofsted there WAY less stressful than organising a bloody school trip!

P.S. Was outstanding!

[thebeansmum]

Ishani - I found your most recent comments directed toward Birdsgottafly smug and arrogant - to be perfectly frank. My two DS aged 8 are in a class with a few children with SN, those children are catered for as well as the 'high fliers' you know that have failed - all bright children should do well regardless of the naughty waste of space types (in your eyes) I don't know where you live (11+) but one of 'the naughty bullies who will leave school with nothing bla bla pointless lives bla bla' runs a huge building company and EMPLOYS some of the high fliers he was at school with. Oh, and it's Birsgottafly, not Birdsgotafly - BTW.