Head Master has resigned

[happychappy]

We received a letter through from the governors today. Unfortunately OFSTED came and a few of the kids decided to make the teachers lives hell during the OFSTED inspections and behaved very badly. They gave the school a Good rating. It was Outstanding not so long ago. I feel really sad for the Head teacher. My dealings with him have always be good and I have always felt him to be good for the school. I have 2 children in the school both situations not straightforward so have needed more support than usual. We have a few children in the village who go there and only one has a problem with the school, but she didn't get into the school she wanted and she has a general problem with authority (as does her mother). It seems very unfair.

I thought I might drop him a line wishing him well for the future and saying how much his help and support was appreciated from this household. Do you think I should. ?

I think he would appreciate your thanks and good wishes. Can't do any harm, can it?

Do you know he has resigned because of the Ofsted rating?

And what Maples said too.

Yes, he did. Its a shame because the schools is a really really good school. Certainly better than it's good status. It received the second highest exam results for the county, it has so many activities for the children in and outside of school. It is ready and structured to support kids that need help, there doesn't seem to be any bullying (or it's dealt with very quickly) and the kids seem to have a really positive attitude towards education BUT just like any school there are a few twits as proved by the ofsted report.

Just supports my argument that ofsted reports aren't worth all the fuss and not a reason to decide on a school. Unfortunately many parents do make their decisions on that report

Poor bloke. I think you should write the letter.

I agree. Poor man.

I agree too. Do it, write the letter, I'm sure it would be much appreciated.

You are very thoughtful and kind. Which is massively important. Good for you happychappy.

Definitely, definitely write the letter. It will mean a lot more to him than spoken wishes and can be kept and read again and again.

IMHO people tend to write to complain but rarely to say thank you. I try to make a point of writing to thank people who I feel deserve it but then I'm oldschool odd :)

Write the letter by all means. It can't do any harm and it just might make him feel a whole lot better.
Try to make positive comments. He may end up in a far better job for all we know!

That is so nice of you to even think of doing. Do it.
I know a great many schools whose OFSTED report don't match the reality, unfortunately.

Do it. They will appreciate it.

I sent our Headteacher an email the day after a particular horrible mtg at the school.

I wanted them to know stuff might go wrong but I thought they were doing a brilliant job in trying circumstances.

They sent me an email back in minutes with great thanks and could I hear their relief in the email that I and several others had contacted them to show support. They are human and they need support too. It's a lonely job running a school when things are not going swimmingly.

Please do. I'm Chair of a school governing body, we've just been through a tough Ofsted, and the HT who is amazing was royally put through the mill. It's a time when anything remotely negative about the school is volunteered and scrutinised. To hear positive stories and thanks is always massively appreciated by HTs. Often class teachers get thanked by parents and kids but HTs don't -even though that's the first door you knock on when you need a moan. Poor man.

Ofsted goalposts have moved yet again this year btw and "good" can often be close to what used to class as outstanding.

On reflection, am not sure if the Head is fully responsible for this - surely the teachers of these classes must accept some of the responsibility here too. I am sure that the inspectors recognise that some pupils do misbehave and the issue here is how it is dealt with rather than the behaviour itself.
Having said that moving from "Outstanding" to "Good" is not really a disaster, especially as the goalposts have moved and inspections are getting tougher. In my experience, most Heads resign when schools are unsatisfactory. It must be very stressful though when years of hard work are spoiled by a few pupils misbehaving and I am sure that a letter of thanks would be appreciated.

Yes write the letter.

I would say that the new OFSTED regime is very tough. I would have thought that the move from "outstanding" to "good" was merely a reflection of that.

From what I have heard, todays "good" is yesterdays "outstanding" It is possible that he is resigning because he is unwilling to put up with endlessly moving goalposts.

Given that in many ways "good" is the new "outstanding" I doubt that this is the reason that he has left.

Perhaps he had other reasons for leaving but had agreed to see the school through to its next inspection?

I speak as the wife of a hard-working, dedicated and passionate HeadTeacher who is also going through loads of shit at the moment thanks to fucking OFSTED.

Definitely, definitely write, and encourage others to show their support too.

Ex Chair of Govs in total agreement about writing to he HT. Also have watched how Ofsted has evolved over the years & think it's disgusting that this government has interfered again. I was reading an article about our literacy & numeracy levels for school leavers & over the past few years we are dropping in comparison to our European neighbours. If only HTs were allowed to run the school & teachers allowed to teach without the burden of Ofsted who are now looking to damn schools & force the 'academy' option upon them.

IAmNotInterested - my thoughts are with you & hubby. I worked with a brilliant HT who was running towards retirement in the end.

OP I'd also encourage other parents to write.

Write to the local paper as well praising the school.

I did this for my local primary school after Ofsted issues and most of the teachers and head stopped me and said thank you and how much they appreciated it.

why do you find the resignation due to the Ofsted report so unbelievable everlong? There are many cases of heads resigning following a difficult inspection, especially if they feel that all the hard work of all the staff to create a wonderful school is rubbished by these inspections as they are not to their criteria, but the school is working for the student's needs

its not an incident though its a 3 day nightmare which has resulted in a statement stating that what the head is doing is not good enough any more....what professional would want the entire public, the students they serve, their parents, their staff to have this as common knowledge and can still keep smiling?

The head of the secondary school that my friends DCs go to has just resigned because the school received a "satisfactory" OFSTED - its out of area for where I live but close enough to be reported in the local paper.

Yes do write, as Nlondondad and others say Ofsted are being impossible at the moment.
Both DDs junior and senior schools have gone from good to satisfactory for very little if any reason.

It's tremendously stressful for the teachers.