OFSTED inspections - is this right?

[pannetone]

Our DS has SEN because of disability (autistic spectrum).We took his secondary school to the SEN and Disability Tribunal.The school were found to have discriminated against our DS because of their failure to make reasonable adjustments for his disability. The remedies included the Tribunal ordering the school to organise disability awareness training for staff and to improve SEN policies and monitoring.

A year after the judgement (DS had left the school) the school is inspected by OFSTED and gets an 'outstanding' grading. According to the report all pupils with SEN/disabilities (noted as a very small percentage) are well supported and make the same academic progress as their peers.

Would OFSTED have known about the discrimination case and judgement against the school? Should the school have 'declared' it during the inspection? If OFSTED were aware of the judgement should it have influenced their findings?

Mmm- interesting.
I wonder sometimes with ofsted but you need an insider or someone with more experience of their workings to enlighten you...

Wonder if child has left the school (so not on roll) they don't have to include this info.

That would be very convenient for the school Wolfie.

I'm pondering this now as the school is St Olaves which has been in the news (for excluding sixth formers from returning for Y13 as they got less than 3 B grades at the end of Y12)

Wouldn't it just!
I'm just wondering. They do ask for specific info. If it does exclude students who have left then the school doesn't have to share the data.

They look at current data for their judgements. If they could demonstrate excellent progress of current students that would be sufficient. They would presumably think the training had worked.

Not sure whether or not Ofsted will have this information but would want to think that they would. The outcome of the Tribunal had certain remedies included ordering the school to organise disability awareness training for staff and to improve SEN policies and monitoring.
I would have expected those kind of actions to be the kind of thing that Ofsted would be expecting schools to take action on. Could it be that the outcome was that the school put in place the necessary actions and the Ofsted outcome around SEN is due to the changes made?

I'd contact a journalist who has written a story about st olaves and explain the situation. They will be able (and keen!) to investigate.

Simon Hattenstone at the Guardian might be a start - he had issues with the Olave's head when he was at Fortismere as they felt the allocated funding wasn't going to their daughter (who had autism).

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/05/aydin-onac-st-olaves-school-autistic-daughter-care-headteacher

Oh yes pannetone, please contact Simon Hattenstone!

Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I've read the article you linked to Lotsofsighing.

I was contacted by David Pegg at the Guardian (who seen my posts on here and a comment I posted on their website). I have spoken to him and am sending him details of our case. I raised the point about OFSTED with him - I think it needs investigating.

Sadly it doesn't seem that SEN support at Olaves has improved enough - I'm aware of another parent who is waiting for their claim to be heard at the SENDIST Tribunal.

I'm glad someone is listening, it's really important that all these bits of information are put together.

I would also bring it up with the Diocese, as this supposed to be a "caring school".

I know an autistic boy who has absolutely thrived there, and is sailing of to oxbridge having very comfortably met their offer. Socially classed as very deprived too

ofsted is only ever a snapshot, and frequently very wide of the mark, it isn't supposed to be a deep judgement.

Latte I did raise our DS's case with the Diocese at the time but I didn't hear back from them. I think if I raise it again they will just point to the OFSTED report and say SEN support is now outstanding...

Copper I too know of a boy with ASD at Olaves who got top grades and went off to Oxbridge. Indeed we had the Head telling us and the Tribunal that SEN support was excellent because he could point to this individual who thrived. The point of our case was how poor support was when our DS struggled/ how he struggled because of the lack of support to the extent it was discriminatory.

St Olaves is very selective though, if your child isn't St Olave's material, then he isn't St olave's material. Mine weren't. I on't see how you can apply for such a selective school than complain about discrimination, particularly as it clearly isn't the ASD that is the issue, as so many others have done so well there.

copper we have a tribunal ruling that in my DS's case it was the combination of DS's ASD and the school's lack of suppprt that meant he didn't thrive at St Olaves.

My DS is entitled to have support for the SEN arising from his disability whatever school he attends, no matter how selective.

In any event DS didn't have a diagnoses when he started there.

Any news pannetone?

That sounds terrible OP, poor him. Once again I'm thinking it sounds like a terrible school.

St Olaves is a state school, it is selective but can only select on the criteria given, in this case passing the 11+. It is not allowed to discriminate on disability or other grounds.
So not allowed to discriminate because of ASD, wheelchair use, social class, ethnic origin etc.
All state schools have funding to help those with SEN, and if the pupil has more severe needs they can apply for extra funding. Just because it is a grammar doesn't mean it can rewrite the rules.