Ofsted Inspection - Is this unreasonable?

[BertieBrabinger]

How would you react if you were asked by a teacher at your DC's school to keep them out of school for the day of the inspection in case they were a disruptive influence? Is this something Ofsted recommend?

It's a bit weird, right?

Yes this happened and happened to me. Although they sent him home sick when he was clearly fine. I took him to the GP then took him back to school and made a complaint. I removed him a week later and sent him to a special school.

And no, I didn't once look at my parenting as DS was beautifully behaved at school. School were not willing to make allowances for his disability, and by that I don't mean anything expensive, they wouldn't allow him to wear his ear defenders or have a chew buddy because 'he will look different'

Shock horror as soon as I moved him into a good school his behaviour was as perfect as it was at home.

But clearly according to stitch I'm just a bad parent. Clearly. That's why my child has a heart condition, no control of his body temperature, seizures, autism and severe learning disabilities and a phasical degenerative condition.

Clearly it's because I'm not doing enough with him at home.

Oh wait, that can't be right because the outreach service, complex needs team and home care says his home environment is set up amazingly just for him at the detriment of myself.

So maybe it's because I let him have that fruit shoot that time...

Some people are just horrible about children with SN.

'Beautifully behaved at home even.

Special day trip out on a minibus = Ofsted.
I certainly know this happens.
Perhaps less common now, I don't know.

Thanks stitch for insulting the whole if Mumsnet who have chikdren with SN.

Hi folks. just passing through with a quick link to our This Is My Child campaign. As you were.
www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/this-is-my-child

Too fucking right you should be informing Ofsted of this request.

It's an attempt by the school to deceive the Ofsted inspections and manipulate their Ofsted grade. In a nutshell: it's fraud.

Glad stitches horrible post has been deleted. I'll never be ashamed if my child, people with nasty opinions are the ones who should be ashamed.

Ofsted would take the view it is an illegal exclusion and immediately put the school into a category 4/special measures.

Report it- whatever your position in this is.

At my DC school the head teacher just got the sack for doing exactly this.

These days the headteacher gets called in the afternoon and told that Ofsted will be with them the next morning - there's not exactly a whole lot of time to arrange for particular kids to stay home.

And for every class that's observed the inspectors note down the number on roll as well as the number present, alongside asking pupils if the class routine on that day is what usually happens. Trying to fiddle the system is getting increasingly more difficult.

Our HT took the kids off the system altogether!! Another member of staff grassed him up after they fell out.

Every time I have been involved in an OFSTED inspection (I work in FE) we got the call on the Thursday and the inspection started on the Monday. Haven't had one since Easter though so things may have changed in last few months.

Thanks MNHQ, came back on to link to the campaign for Stitch but you have helpfully beaten me to it.

Sadly it's still an all too familiar judgement from some people.

Has the OP actually been back?

I will say that it isn't the first time I have heard parents talk of this.

Hmm. A lot of food for thought here.
Child (complicated medical history) is very young. It's a private pre-school. Don't wish to say more, but enough of your comments have convinced me this is not standard procedure. Thank you.

If a school said this to me, I'd be informing Ofstead then finding a more supportive school for my child.

Don't let them dictate to you OP.

Why do OFSTED give any notice at all? I have never understood it. I used to work in a bank and the Inspectors would just turn up unannounced and spend 2 weeks going through everything.

Send him in and give him a suitable breakfast, pick'n'mix and cherryade would be my choice.

Because schools have to have notice in case they have students etc in teaching or children who would not cope with the presence of strange people in their classroom. A teacher might be half way through putting up a display and had an emergency with a child so a display is half done etc.

They don't get much notice at all, they get a phone call after lunch on the day before OFSTED turn up and he next morning at 8am they are on the doorstep.

Ofsted would take the view it is an illegal exclusion and immediately put the school into a category 4/special measures

Sorry, I don't agree that this would happen. Perhaps in some casesbut not all. The same school I mentioned earlier also had over 100 illegal exclusions in a year that were 'buried' by falsified registers. Ofsted were given full evidence of this yet still considered the school and management to be outstanding. Their judgements don't seem to be really fair sometimes.

It's nothing to do with half done displays! OFSTED give notice ( usually just after lunch on the day before the inspection) so that the Head can cancel any appointments/courses/meetings planned etc and ensure they are available whilst OFSTED are in. Students would be observed, as would any supply staff teaching. If a child REALLY couldn't cope with having an observer in the room, that child could be removed for the lesson ( for their own peace of mind) but not for the day!

I know not for the day. I'm not stupid I am a teacher and the mother if a child with SN who wouldn't notice someone in the room, but I voluntarily run a charity for children with SN a lot of whom would be very distressed by that. In those cases the PARENTS get the decision of what should happen, not the school at all.

But purple how long ago was that?
All the inspections I have known in the last two years were warning the day before at lunchtime, then in next morning. I'm not totally convinced the warning is necessary as nurseries don't get any.

If I was asked to keep my child home I wouldn't comply and would inform OFsted that I had Ben asked.

Mummytime the keeping out of class was admittedly more than a couple of years ago but the falsification of registers,illegal exclusions etc was very recent. Different schools by the way.

The warning is needed so that the people that Ofsted will need to talk to can arrange to be there. Head, governors etc.

I find it interesting that people automatically associate special needs with being disruptive. Quite offensive actually.

If my child was genuinely just disruptive I'd be mortified firstly, but secondly I'd be extremely angry that the school thought they could just sweep things under the carpet rather than demonstrate how (hopefully well) they can cope with disruptive behaviour in the class room.

It would also make me question how well they can deal with these behaviours on a daily basis, if it's something they have to hide. That's extremely worrying.