Ofsted Inadequate Serious Weaknesses

[PrimaryConcern]

School was found Inadequate Serious Weaknesses in October 2016. It's had two monitoring inspections, one in July 2017 and one in March of this year. Both monitoring inspections were fairly positive, though since the last one there's been a second wave of staff changes and it will start the new academic year with 4/7 new class teachers and the Head who was brought in after the Ofsted will also have left (and been replaced by internal promotion).

I'm trying to work out when it will have the full inspection. What I've read online said within 18 months of the inadequate but that's passed.

Any idea, or is it just a bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question.

So OFSTED say it's crap, parents say it's crap, teachers are leaving in droves, yet coldrain, who doesn't even know the school in question, seems to think it's fine

Colrain love you're embarrassing yourself now.

Sorry to bother you.

Is it possible to see a copy of the report on the school? This is why I read inspection reports. People always claim it doesn’t tell us much which is sort of true but it does paint a general picture of the school. So do league tables.

I use inspection reports as part of my decision making process. I also talked with parents about the school curriculum and extracurricular activities for children. I took a long time deciding. The website provided me with valuable information.

Listen to gossip.

Then I toured the school with DSD and spoke with the teachers, students and principal. Trust your gut feeling about the school. I even requested to see copies of all school policies and curriculum booklets available. For me personally seeing a real lesson occurring at the school and watching the children was helpful.

I also made some notes in response to my questions.

So OFSTED say it's crap, parents say it's crap, teachers are leaving in droves, yet coldrain, who doesn't even know the school in question, seems to think it's fine hmm

Ofsted saying it is crap is actually more ikely an indication that it is good, in my experience. Ofsted judegements have been shown to be no better than totally random, but having said that, a school which gets a good ofsted is possibly more likely to be one that prioritises all the ofsted stuff over actual children and teaching, so actually a worse school.....

as to the parents, hard to judge as the op hasn't been specific at all.

Colrain love you're embarrassing yourself now.

I'm not actually remotely embarrassed, no.

I have noticed a growing tendency on MN for posters who want to try and put someone down, but don't actually have anything to put them down with, to attempt to inform others that they are feeling embarrassed.....

it does paint a general picture of the school. So do league tables.

no.

being high in the league tables indicates nothing what so ever other than prioritising and manipulating statistics, to the detriment of children and education.

Anyone taking league tables into consideration is simply showing an ignorance of league tables

I'm going to start a league table thread

The whole tone of your posts tell me you have never ever once ever had the teeniest tiniest little glimpse of the real l ife of the school and its staff, behind the curtain

well I agree with bubbles.
I have had 3 children pass through the school. I am an ex teacher. I have been helping out in classrooms for years.

I recognise crap teaching and good teacher, regardless of what any piece of paper says. I have seen both in our 'outstanding' school. I know when the wool is being pulled over my eyes, and I don't buy it. I look at my children's books, hear what is being said on the playground and see what is happening around the school as I am there.

One example, presentation to governors about reading and about how we will improve standards. Included things which I know are not happening on the ground in class, eg every child is heard every week by a member of staff. So I challenged- how do you ensure that is actually happening? Who is reviewing home reading books and making sure that the child in year 1 isn't picking up the same book over and over, because they are allowed to self select, why do so few of the reading books that go home link in with the phonics system that the school uses. When we reviewed that 6 months later to see how it was going, I challenged again, because nothing had changed. To me it was basic, if you want a child to read, then hear them read. If a parent isn't filling in a reading record, you have to assume they aren't reading and someone in school has to hear them read.

Then I started to see a difference actually in the classroom, and in how reading was monitored, and a review of the early years reading books.

My youngest leaves year 6 this year and I will step down as governor. They have asked me if I will stay as co-opted governor, and I won't because I will no longer have the ability to see 'behind the curtain'

I am not interested in Ofsted per se, or in league tables at all, but I am interested in what goes on in the classroom.

BubblesBuddy My real issue is the Academy Trust and Ofsted giving them a pass after pass.The school was academised following Special Measures in 2011 and yet in 2018 it is still a sub-standard school. The first inspection after conversation was RI, then Inadequate and now RI. It is out of step with other schools in the area, so it's not a question of pupil demographics. Our local secondary used to be dreadful and has been completely turned around. It wasn't overnight but a comparable timescale.

They have swept the place bare, but at some point surely the capability of the sweeper needs to be questioned. Ofsted have rated management good, despite teaching still being RI and most other categories being RI. To me this is a nonsense, just like the management getting RI when everything else was judged Inadequate.

I know there is a problem with failing academised schools ending up without an Trust. Perhaps Ofsted feel it is a better to have a poor one, than none at all. But I don't think the judgement should be biased to the extent it has been.

I quite agree titchy

Coldrain2018 So under what circumstances would you consider a school not to be good then? If Ofsted doesn't matter, league tables don't matter, pupil outcomes don't matter, parent opinion doesn't matter. What does? Just your opinion of a school you've never been inside?

spinabifidamom the latest report isn't online yet. I'd also say checking the ParentView data on the Ofsted site is something to check as well. and the DfE site where you can compare schools for the Progress 8? information.

steppemum DC school doesn't have a parent governor anymore as the old board was disbanded after the inadequate and a new board made of experienced governors were appointed. A change was needed as the former board didn't challenge the school enough, but I do feel it loses something without a parent governor.

@BubblesBuddy @steppemum
I don't know if you're still interested but it's had it's first Ofsted Monitoring report. Visit was September.

Here's an extract:

"Senior leaders, governors and the trust are not taking effective action to tackle the
areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection in order for
the school to become good."

The Executive Head, who was the previous darling of Ofsted Inspection, has been off sick since April. The Chair of the Governors was replaced in September. There's currently an acting Headteacher. It seems unlikely the Executive Head is returning and quite likely the Acting Headteacher will stay.

Report is positive about new Head but there is much to do for pupils to catch up.

It would be less annoying had Ofsted not been so favourable on the last full inspection, Because it was quite apparent that things weren't right. Who inspects the inspectors?!? It's like it's exactly back to how things were 3 years ago except fewer teachers, unfinished building works and questionable security. It does have its own minibus though

Oh dear. I am still interested. I hope they have not misplaced trust in the new leadership!

In my LA this governing body would now be led by an experienced governor in school improvement. Plus a few others that know the time of day. They need to work closely with the acting head. Was the acting head previously at the school? Are they well versed in school improvement? That’s key now I think. They need to accelerate the improvement plan and remodel it to ensure the worst elements are tackled first.

No one inspects the inspectors. However, in their defence, they would expect a head that’s parachuted in to be able to turn it around. Very many can do this. I think you unfortunately experienced a dud! It could also have been that the improvement plan was good and they believed there was capacity to improve. However RI for leadership is pretty poor so if I was your LA/Trust, I would have been monitoring progress very closely. After all, it’s the children who are being failed here.

I have no doubt that many teachers work hard but without high quality leadership they don’t always work effectively. That’s the change you need to see. I wish you well.