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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School given noticed today that ofsted arriving tomorrow?

198 replies

oldstudentmum · 07/11/2022 17:21

Not a teacher btw. Is this the norm as schools that kids have attended all got longer notice and we were sent forms to fill out for inspector. Any thoughts 💭

OP posts:
CopOut27 · 14/11/2022 22:51

@Mred22

My school had an Ofsted in March. On querying the dates of the report, we were told that 18 was a ‘guide’. I’m reality it took many more weeks (without it being challenged fed or anything).

CopOut27 · 14/11/2022 22:52

Sorry for the typos - bloody autocorrect! 😡

Mred22 · 14/11/2022 23:11

Thank you, that is interesting.

OrangeBlossom28 · 14/11/2022 23:15

I'm a teacher and my school had Ofsted 14th and 15th Sept. Our report was available to send to parents on 17th October.

Skelligsfeathers · 14/11/2022 23:20

HideTheCroissants · 08/11/2022 19:48

@CurlyhairedAssassin I promise you that our priority is and always will be the welfare and education of the children. We are lucky that our caretaker and two cleaners go above and beyond and keep our relatively new buildings sparkling (although if the inspectors come during rainy weather they will see the wet floor cones and buckets in a couple of places).

Our office is TINY, designed for one but two of us shoe horned in, there is barely room on our floor for our chairs so it has to be clear to be safe.

I agree that a lot of things are done unpaid in holiday time and your day single handed in the office sounds very much like mine but I didn’t have any trips today (I would have preferred that to child who vomited on the register as he handed it to me to be honest 🤮 ) and my school is smaller - I salute you.

We all work more than our paid hours regularly (as do most school staff) but the last time we got the call our deputy (the head hadn’t made it back from conference) insisted that ALL staff left the building by 4.30 the day before the inspection and told us that the caretaker would not be opening up until 7am - to ensure none of us overthought the situation.

I’ve always found the inspectors to be more interested in our children, the standard of education and safeguarding processes than whether we have a lost property box in reception or an unopened delivery in the photocopy room. I’ve never read any report which mentions the tidiness (or otherwise) of the school.

My friend was ofsteded recently. The report wanged on about the surroundings a LOT. Slated them for untidiness and general scrufiness.

TheFallenMadonna · 14/11/2022 23:21

My school was inspected at the beginning of July and the report wasn't published until late September because they didn't do anything over the summer. V frustrating because we wanted to share!

Iamnotthe1 · 15/11/2022 06:43

Mred22 · 14/11/2022 22:37

I don't want to start a new thread, but I have an Ofsted question and I thought I could add it to this discussion. My dc's (primary) school was inspected in mid-October, but we haven't been told the outcome.

The ofsted website says it is published 18 working days after the visit, we are over that once you deduct weekends. However there has been half-term, do Ofsted not work in half-term though at child-minders or on paperwork?
Or could the delay suggest the school is appealing the decision, should I be concerned?

We have recently been inspected and were told 30 working days by the inspection team before the report will be available to wider staff and parents. Leadership will have sight of the report earlier in case they do want to query anything (not always a bad thing, it can just be a simple factual inaccuracy).

Mred22 · 07/12/2022 08:45

OrangeBlossom28 · 14/11/2022 23:15

I'm a teacher and my school had Ofsted 14th and 15th Sept. Our report was available to send to parents on 17th October.

Hello, my DCs school was Ofsted inspected a month after yours and yet the report is not out, what can I do? Can I enquire of the school or Ofsted what the delay is? We are talking 40 working days or so and according to the Ofsted handbook after 33 working days it should go up onto their website.

gamerchick · 07/12/2022 08:47

Shouldn't give any notice imo.

Abraxan · 07/12/2022 18:24

That wouldn't work though gamerchick as they need some information beforehand and they need to check that they can actually come in. There are some reasons why a planned ofsted visit has to be postponed.
They also need a private room to be made available, various documents printed out for them, safeguarding information brought up, various books selected, as all other manner if paperwork and admin stuff. That takes time to prepare and organise - so half a day is fair enough.

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 18:44

@Mred22 I'd ask at the school. There could be all sorts of reasons why there's a delay.

Mred22 · 07/12/2022 18:52

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 18:44

@Mred22 I'd ask at the school. There could be all sorts of reasons why there's a delay.

Ok, thank you. But to give me some idea as to whether they are prevaricating (or not) could you tell me what the reasons could be?

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 19:01

There are various checks that need to be made or remedied such as factual errors. The school's leadership could be challenging something on the report for example. The school usually receive the finalised report around 10 days before it is available on Ofsted's website so you should hear from the school first.
Have any of the other parents mentioned anything?

Mred22 · 07/12/2022 19:12

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 19:01

There are various checks that need to be made or remedied such as factual errors. The school's leadership could be challenging something on the report for example. The school usually receive the finalised report around 10 days before it is available on Ofsted's website so you should hear from the school first.
Have any of the other parents mentioned anything?

Thank you.

There have been various 'rumours' flying about on wattsappp and facebk, I try not to get involved in those.

The thing is, the school has been really going through a difficult patch post-pandemic (not the only one from what I read online). The Hd was on longterm illness so an acting-Head was in place for the inspection. In fact just about a month before they came, we had confirmation the Hd had resigned and six months ago all the governors resigned.... Could that be used in mitigation to appeal any outcome do you think? At the last inspection it was R.I. and the rumours were that the outcome on the draft report was even worse.... and that would probably mean a fast track to academy status and even more turmoil.

I am very concerned and the delay is not helping.

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 19:20

@Mred22 School leadership and governance has to be in place for a school to start to be effective. It does sound like the outcome won't be favourable from what you've said.

Mred22 · 07/12/2022 19:24

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 19:20

@Mred22 School leadership and governance has to be in place for a school to start to be effective. It does sound like the outcome won't be favourable from what you've said.

Thank you (again).

Favourable or unfavourable is not really the issue anymore, I just want to know - so I can consider alternative provision!

I am not being sniffy with you by-the-way, you have been most helpful. It is the school and the conspiracy of silence that is getting my back up.

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 19:28

@Mred22 I haven't taken your comments as being snippy at all. It's a horrible position to be in as a parent.
If the outcome is poor then things will be out in place to start to support the school to improve. Worth looking at how effective the teaching and learning is when you can finally read the report; that might make a difference to your decision about how to move forward.

2bazookas · 07/12/2022 19:46

Totally normal. It's so that the inspectors see the school as it really is.
I had no idea ours was being inspected until the inspector let himself in to my classroom.

Mred22 · 10/12/2022 14:25

OrangeBlossom28 · 07/12/2022 18:44

@Mred22 I'd ask at the school. There could be all sorts of reasons why there's a delay.

School is now saying it is unlikely we will have the report before Xmas, but they are not saying why....

I think this is wrong, could I contact Ofsted myself and ask what is going on? Do any people on here have contact details or work for or have in the past worked for Ofsted and can help me?

The Ofsted website is quite clear: 30 days plus 3 so 33 days after the inspection the report goes online. If it is after Christmas it will be close to double that.

I don't think this is right: if we had the result at the correct time (approx. mid-November) and if as rumours suggest its BAD, I could look for a new school for my DC to start in January, now I cannot do that.

toomuchlaundry · 10/12/2022 14:31

I assume the school has made a complaint about how the inspection was carried out or appealed some of the findings

toomuchlaundry · 10/12/2022 14:32

@Mred22 what do you actually feel about the school. If you don’t think the school is very good or are happy with it doesn’t matter what the report says.

Mred22 · 10/12/2022 18:45

toomuchlaundry · 10/12/2022 14:32

@Mred22 what do you actually feel about the school. If you don’t think the school is very good or are happy with it doesn’t matter what the report says.

I don't really know what to think, they talk the talk and are very good at PR, but an outside opinion might be different. This delay with the Ofsted report is just so odd and so annoying.

LatteLady · 10/12/2022 19:03

There are any number of reasons as to why it has been delayed from quality assurance at the inspectorate to the school disputing sections of the report. However, if I am honest now, I think the new inspection content and ethos is no longer helpful and the reports so sanitised that they are no longer helpful.

To the poster, who said that schools get at least half a days warning, not true, you can be rung at 8:00am from the car park with inspectors saying, "We are here and coming in," for a no notice inspection. I know because I was an Ofsted Inspector.

Murdoch1949 · 10/12/2022 19:04

Doesn't affect the students, just gives heart attacks to staff. For the children it's business as usual, albeit they should try to be more attentive and helpful than ever!

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 10/12/2022 19:16

LatteLady · 10/12/2022 19:03

There are any number of reasons as to why it has been delayed from quality assurance at the inspectorate to the school disputing sections of the report. However, if I am honest now, I think the new inspection content and ethos is no longer helpful and the reports so sanitised that they are no longer helpful.

To the poster, who said that schools get at least half a days warning, not true, you can be rung at 8:00am from the car park with inspectors saying, "We are here and coming in," for a no notice inspection. I know because I was an Ofsted Inspector.

Good luck with that. I start work (in the office) at 8:15. You get the answerphone until then and sometimes until 8:30 if I’m doing admin tasks around the school before the children arrive.

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