Bringing in experienced teacher for Ofsted inspection day??

[DilemmaTime]

Does this sound ok to you? My dd's primary is having their Ofsted inspection tomorrow and I've been told that her regular class teacher won't be teaching them. Instead they're bringing in an experienced teacher from another school in their group of schools, just for the day. Technically, I guess he works for the same company but he isn't a teacher from that school (in fact he's a head atbthe other school). It doesn't sound right to me, in fact it sounds deceptive and I don't like it (one of many things I don't like about this school lately).

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That's awful - surely they will be found out?

I don't know. Does an ofsted inspection check something like that? Do they always ask for evidence of the class teacher being employed? You'd think it would need checking as it would be too easy to employ a very good supply for the day. Does anyone know?

The older children know this head teacher. I think he used to work there before being moved to one of the other schools.

It just seems so sneaky. Obviously I don't want to jeopardise my dd's school's ofsted but would I be wrong to question it??

Pity the kids know him. Otherwise I'd be hoping that they behave like evil little sods, simply because they've got a stranger in front of their class. Would serve SMT right.

Wow. Is there a parents' meeting?

I think I would raise concerns that the school clearly feel that DDs regular teacher is not up to the job.

Yes, sowornout The SMT (senior management team?) are not popular, sitting in their off school site running schools they rarely visit. This situation won't make things any better. Teachers are resigning non stop at thte mo.

Probably, dewdrop. No date sent out yet. Will ask in the morning. Are they usually straight after the visit or after the report?

Also something which had been bugging me, sowornout, although she seems very good to me! Imagine how it must feel to her though - go on, off you trot, spend the day doing something else while we host these important people from ofsted, come back when we're done!

It's crap. Yes, SMT is senior management team, sorry. And have always been well known for pulling stunts like this (although I haven't come across this one before) when Ofsted come in.

A favourite one in my previous school was to suddenly clock up lots of offenses against kids they knew were a pain in the arse and then give them a 3 day suspension starting the day Ofsted arrived! Although it certainly made it easier for some staff to have 5 difficult kids removed from their class, it was a joke, IMO.

DDs teacher may feel this is a slur on her teaching abilities, but in all honesty I don't know any teacher who wouldn't feel a sneaking sense of relief that they weren't being Ofsted observed. You basically know you are on a hiding to nothing nowadays and the stress is immense, particularly if you are not very experienced.

It's a ploy used by some schools unfortunately to help boost their rating . You can bring it to the attention of Ofsted by asking to speak with an inspector. You could put your concerns on the questionnaire but some schools have been known to vet those before handing them to the inspection team .
I've even heard of a disabled child with high absence figures (due to school only letting them attend part time) who was then unlawfully removed from the school roll the evening before an Ofsted visit - shameful!

This is one of the many ploys used by schools to improve their ratings. If I remember correctly, on the questionnaire Ofsted hand out, there is an address you can send it to if you prefer - in this way there is no chance for it to be vetted and removed if your school is likely to do this.

Who told you? Surely if it's public knowledge that there's been a switch, rather than the regular teacher simply being mysteriously ill on the day, then it's going to get back to Ofsted?

I'd drop them in it very carefully.

What I'd do is speak to the Ofsted and let them know that this isn't their usual teacher, and is a supply, which should be pretty obvious to Ofsted anyway. And say that you have a suspicion that they have been brought in for Ofsted, as they don't usually do supply-and lets face it, how many heads do supply for other schools.

I'd have thought it could come back to bite the supply head. If his school gets inspected by the same inspectors and they look at him and say "how come you were teaching at X school?" it's not going to look good for him either.

Those are terrible about the kids being conveniently 'hidden'

I know schools must get very desperate around ofsted time but I am still shocked that this is happening and that other posters have heard of it before. I know it isn't on a par with some stuff (I'm thinking of the financial world recently) but the deception and sneakiness is still not acceptable imo.

I know from a very good 'inside' source (I know staff shouldn't be gossipping but judging by the spiralling morale in that group of schools, I'm not really surprised :(), and I saw him there this morning.

I am surprised that they know they are being inspected tomorrow yet. When DCs school was inspected they weren't told until noon of the day before.

Who told you it was an OFSTED inspection?

DeWe, good point about the head...except this head has just resigned after a year in the job (yet another one jumping ship!) to go back to teaching in september! so probably quite happy not to be meeting ofsted as a head ever!!

They got told yesterday, mummytime.

So, do I put it on the questionnaire? What's the worst that could happen to the schhol if ofsted find out about it? Is it worth telling them?

Yes, put it on the questionnaire if you think the school is deliberately trying to cover up failings.
If they have hired in fake staff, then what else have they done?

The guidelines have changed this year, and part of the inspection is that they examine the typical behaviour of any pupils not present at the time of the inspection. So that's that one out of the way.

The teacher issue is awful - make sure they know.

If Ofsted decide they are trying to fake the inspection they can be put into special measures (and I think should be), I have known it happen to schools for far less.

I think it is very unfair if they got 24 hours notice, you should have seen DCs poor teachers frantically tidying up with 12 hours notice (it wasn't that bad, but just not as spotless as when you expect visitors).

Although they have picked up on this kind of thing before. There "could" bean innocent explanation but they'd have to explain that to the inspectors. (Actually I think it would be pretty obvious if a class has an unfamiliar teacher at this point in the school year.)

Oh and the questionnaire is an online one now, via the Ofsted website!

Is it possible that the regular teacher was always going to be out that day (course, medical appointment, family reason etc) and the school have just made sure they have got a good supply in?