To think most Ofsted inspectors seem devoid of human emotions

[Amammai]

Yes I know really it’s just their job.
Yes schools do need to be held to account.
Yes someone has to do the job.

But honestly, are there any Ofsted inspectors on here who can share what actually drives them to do the job? Does being so harsh and often abrupt to people not keep them up at night?

I work in a school. Despite all the promises of taking into account staff mental health etc. I am yet to have been through an inspection which actually truly did this.

if you make a complaint, Ofsted investigates Ofsted. There is now external body for investigation.

So,

YABU - Ofsted inspectors are just doing their job and school staff need to crack on

YANBU - Ofsted inspectors are a certain type of person who thrive on belittling people

You've been very fortunate then. I've also worked in education for years and this has not been my experience. The last inspector was particularly rude and dismissive. The school maintained a grading of good which we felt was fair but it was a grim process. I'm about five years off retirement but I'm honestly considering resigning before then in order not to go through yet another Ofsted. I'll be joining the thousands of teachers who are leaving the profession and recruitment is an issue in many areas.
I find it odd when Mumsnet posters say something along the lines of "teaching is an easy job, if you leave you'll soon see how it is in the real world" etc. Not one of the many teachers that I know who has left teaching for a job in the 'real world' has subsequently returned to teaching, instead they are all saying that they wished they had left sooner.

🙄

It’s like anything I suppose. Some (most) are good at their jobs. The people I know who have worked for OFSTED certainly were.
However, I’ve also experienced the opposite. With inspectors not following guidance in how they inspected. Being inspected by a non-specialist in a core subject who was unable/unwilling to consider certain things about our curriculum and a final report that contradicted itself on several occasions.

Usually when the school is failing

If you think a 16 year old is a finished product, you have never met or been a 16 year old.

I had an inspection last year, after inspectors had been told to consider mental health and the subject I lead was ‘deep dived’. During my initial interview the inspector was friendly, and at the interview asked how I’d found the interview and if I was ok etc. Once she recorded I’d said it was fine she then totally turned and was vile to me for the rest of the day. We got outstanding but it was a horrific few days!

Power hungry.

I've only been through one OFSTED inspection (in 9 years of teaching!), but the inspectors were all absolutely lovely.

I think the kind of person who actively chooses to do a job like that is unlikely to be full of the milk of human kindness in the first place tbh.

It's literally their job to evaluate your school - what do you want them to do, lie?

You're a teacher. When you mark a student's essay, do you evaluate it on it's merits? or, do you "take the student's mental health into account" and award them a better grade than the piece of work deserves??

Not always. School local to us is awaiting a re inspection as they had a short inspection last year, this soon to happen longer one will confirm that they deserve a move to outstanding (though no more one word judgements) or keep them on good.

I've worked with some horrendous ones, completely out of touch

There's ways to not be a dick when evaluating a school or other setting.

I wouldn't shout or belittle a child who wrote a rubbish essay. Ofsted inspectors shouldn't be doing it either.

You do realise there's a massive recruitment and retention crisis ?

What utter nonsense

I’ve been through OFSTED twice in the last few three years at different schools and they have both been very positive experiences. I think the experience school staff have is as more about the head teachers attitude as the inspector.

I don’t believe OFSTED is anywhere near as bad as the reputation they’ve been given. It’s not a perfect system, but their reports have been accurate in my experience and the inspectors themselves have been polite and respectful.

I think lots are perfectly nice and reasonable. I think some are out of touch, rude and arbitrary.

The problem is you have no idea which ones you are going to get and very little recourse or appeal if you get the latter. I've heard some absolute horror stories.

The fact they contributed to a woman's suicide and no one in the sector was at all surprised speaks volumes.

Inspected two months ago. Automatons,deceitful. We wrote a letter of complaint.

It's interesting you say many teachers are belittling but then most are fantastic but then some treat parents terribly.
Like any other job. Do you sack everyone who has an unpleasant personality?

You are also mistaken teachers object to getting feedback or being spoken in a certain way.
It's not a power struggle and I dont know a single teacher who objects to Osfted because they come and observe. We object to it because the system is flawed, because people who observe you and make a judgement has little to no expertise of subjects, students and being in an actual classroom. Because you dont get to sit down and say "I did this because I know this student and they need this and that".

Before Ofsted stopped giving feedback on individual lessons, I had a lesson feedback that would be just hilarious if it was not so sad. One of the comments was that the inspector thought the work was too easy for a y11 class. She based it on the fact that I asked them a what she considered a simple question and that their answers were not expanded enough. The question was actually not simple, and the students giving the answers were a low set with very low grades predicted and actually managed spontaneously give pretty complex answers without using notes. But what else did I expect from a pencil pusher?
Im glad the bunch of bullies are under scrutiny, shame it's too late for all the education professionals that killed themselves before Ruth Perry's case came to prominence.

Thier initial response was abysmal but there was a complete overhaul after the backlash.

For a start they ended the one word report results, implemented faster re inspections, revoked academisation orders, had a consultation to overhaul the complaints process, now tell schools which year they will receive visits, de personalised critical reports, implemented greater support for heads teachers, allowed heads to share draft reports, and now give greater clarity on effective safeguarding

all as a result of the enquiry into the death of Ruth Perry.

Try having a head who is also an inspector with ofsted visit imminent
it’s never ending reminders

Another childminder who had a horrific inspection. Five hours of non-stop questioning, to the point I wondered how she was possibly assessing my teaching. She told me as she entered what grade I would be getting because I was "just a childminder" and made ridiculous recommendations for the ages of the children I had.

And if you complain about the wording of the report, the complaint goes to .... the same inspector!

Our report was accurate and a lovely report and we retained our Good but it was the way the Inspector went about it. The way she spoke to my HT and staff you would think we were a failing school. Her report was the exact opposite of everything she was saying during the inspection. She left staff in tears or just very angry when she asked a question but then cut them off when they tried to answer. She asked to hear a child read and then walked off after a couple of words leaving the child upset that they had done something wrong. We all said it felt like gaslighting.

My previous 3 Ofsted inspections were stressful but the inspectors were supportive and actually very nice. We all accept the inspections will be stressful but this last one was unnecessarily brutal and left staff traumatised.

how Much of the perceived problem is actually ofsted inspectors?

Verses it being things like:

1. the basic process that being audited / verified is not a relaxing experience.
2. That inspectors / verifiers / auditors have set standards to review against and by definition it’s a rigid process.
3. That they’re senior professionals who you don’t know, and know are rating you
4. How senior leadership teams react and set the tone is the run up and response to the inspection.

I’m in a different sector, and used to get annual ‘verification’ of our reporting process and figures. The verifiers were generally brisk, formal in their engagements, direct in their observations on anything that appeared to not meet the verification standards. Very little if any positive feedback as the expectation was that you met the standards and anything that didn’t was immediately an issue.

Also happen to know that several are very lovely people as I’ve met them at conferences, industry working groups etc.

Its easy to say inspectors are awful people, whereas I think there’s a lot that’s more about how people react to the process and their expectations.

I had an awful experience once with an ofsted inspector. I was being interviewed about my role with another colleague and the inspector grilled us in a manner that was like an army interrogation. He kept trying to trip us up and his manner was nasty.