Join us for a webchat with Ofsted's Chief Inspector of Education Sir Michael Wilshaw – 11.30-12.30, Tuesday 9 September 2014

[VikkiMumsnet]

As the academic year in England, Wales and NI gets underway, we're pleased to welcome Sir Michael Wilshaw into MNHQ for a webchat on Tuesday 8th September, for an hour from 11.30am.

As Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England since 2012, Sir Michael's responsibilities cover every aspect of Ofsted's work, from inspections to exams, reporting on the quality of education and children's services at both local and national level. His former career includes 43 years in teaching, with 26 spent as a head teacher in London secondary schools – most recently as Executive Principal at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney.

You can catch up with Sir Michael's most recent views on everything from poverty to private schools here.

Post your questions for Sir Michael below, and be sure to join us live on the 8th, from 11.30am.

Guess we shouldn't have spent all of that money converting schools to academies. Who would have known?

@everytimeabellrings

Hi Sir Michael - saw your interview in the Evening Standard last week. When you were teaching / during the time you were a Head, did you ever have that conversation with parents you felt weren't pulling their weight to support their children's education?

Hello,

I most certainly did challenge parents, who I believed were not supporting their child in a way that they should have done. If this meant telling them that they were bad parents and that they should reflect on the way they were bringing up their children, then I would not hesitate to do this.

As I said in my interview, the family is the great educator and children suffer if they don't receive the love and support of a caring home.

Sir Michael

Hello Sir Michael

Is your evidence about poorer children doing better in school nurseries based on Ofsted inspection reports or end Foundation Stage Profile results?

As far as I know the FSP do not state if, when or where a child attended for their preschool funded hours. If it does I would love to see that evidence

I would like to see some detailed evidence about how your reached your conclusions

Oooh! I've lots of questions!! I hope Sir Michael might be able to

• Interested to know why you think that attainment in Welsh schools is lagging behind England and elsewhere, and what the Welsh Government and schools should be doing to bring standards up. I know you're Ofsted and not Estyn but would appreciate your views.
• Also interested to know - if you'll say - for the average child, whether or not decent home and family support makes up for attending a non-outstanding school? (Might be some comfort to those with no option of getting their off-spring into a top of the class school?)
• Why are London schools achieving so much more than those outside the capital, despite higher levels of transient pupil population, additional languages and, in some areas, poverty?
• Are teachers and support staff really over-worked? All the ones I know claim to be. And is it acceptable for them to have to regularly work substantial amounts of (unpaid) overtime in order to get everthing done and not 'let down' the pupils?
• Finally, many teacher friends of mine claim that consistently 'outstanding' schools are often not as good, day-to-day, as lower achieving ones where teachers will be trying harder to bring standards up and be under more scrutiny. Would you agree? Equally though, it's presumably it's not easy to achieve and consistently maintain an outstanding rating, so those schools must be pretty on the ball too?

Thanks!

[comments not a question- my question is above and is about attendance]
Any study of children from poorer families must take into account that these families are very unlikely to be able to afford any provision whatsoever, childminders or otherwise. Childcare is terribly expensive in this country. I suspect that the low-attaining children in poor families don't attend outstanding childminders, and that if data were stratified by attendance at various provisions you would find that childminders do just as well as other settings, particularly if they are 'good' or above.

In fact it would be quite fascinating to look at the short- and long-term attainment of children and relate it to what the Ofsted rating of their provision in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 (controlling for relevant factors of course).

Also, if we are serious as you say about tackling inequality, we should have the option state-funded full-time childcare like in Sweden where it costs about 100 euros/month, enabling many, many more women to continue in their careers if they so choose, even if they are not paid the high amounts needed to cover 2 children in childcare. I suspect that the overall economic benefits would exceed the cost.

Thank you for answering my question.

I was a secondary teacher in Tower Hamlets 12 years ago and designed and worked on a research project funded by London Challenge at the IoE. London Challenge and to a lesser extent EAZs had a huge impact on achievement and expectations among my pupils. It was a practical help to teachers and improved practice greatly. Schools collaborated and there was a genuine pooling and dissemination of resource and good practice.

My children were educated in Hackney and I saw the direct effect of London Challenge on their teaching and outcomes.

My concern is that the areas of white working class deprivation outside London have different problems and that replicating some of the strategies won't be enough.

Now, as a PRU tutor outside London, it concerns me that I see little or nothing being done by my LA to create similar strategies.

@noblegiraffe

Sir Michael,

"A good head would never be loved by his or her staff, he added: "If anyone says to you that 'staff morale is at an all-time low' you know you are doing something right."

You made this comment a couple of years ago. Do you really believe that low staff morale is a sign of a good head? Don't you think that it's more likely that low staff morale would lead to higher staff turnover, teachers being off sick, stress, less goodwill for extras etc, which is not good for the children?

Hello,

As I have said on so many occasions, my words were badly misinterpreted. Before my appointment to Ofsted, I was recounting a personal story to headteachers who were preparing into go a failing school in order to improve it.

I read a letter to them from a member of staff in a school that I was endeavouring to turn round, who refused to improve his practice. He was aggrieved that I had challenged him to do better and used staff morale as an excuse to cover his own weaknesses in the classroom.

My point to the headteachers was that they would occasionally come up against similar members of staff who would use this as a means of intimidating the head from doing what was necessary. It goes without saying that good staff morale is a pre-requisite for school improvement. However, headteachers sometimes have to do some difficult and uncomfortable things to get a school into that position.

Sir Michael

Is it time to say, on balance, faith schools should be phased out? Faith being a matter for family & community not to overarch state funded education ?

Good reply Sir Michael.
Yes we know there are some childminders ..as there are nurseries and preschools ...who are not good enough and need to up their game

You acknowledge that many CMs do a good job...so let's concentrate on those and ensure they can continue to keep high standards and care for these vulnerable 2 year olds as many of these children do not have a place right now.

It would be good if you would endorse good CMs and also have a word with the DfE about LAs and conditions imposed on high quality CMs.

It may also be useful if you addressed the fact that many CMs do not have any support at local level...something makes me think you think is the case as per Ofsted recent Power Point publications?
Thank you for your time

@WaffleWiffle

School Governors

Governors are often not skilled in the tasks asked of them. Inexperience can mean governors to take the lead from the Headteacher and can therefore become a group of "yes men" to the HT, rather than challenging.

How do you see the role of school governors developing over the next 10 years?

Hello,

This is a very important question because I have made effective governance a key issue for Ofsted. Indeed, inspectors are now required to write a separate paragraph on governance under the leadership and management section of the report.

In an increasingly autonomous school system governors have more power than ever before to support and challenge the leadership of the school to raise standards. Where we see schools failing to raise attainment, governors are not doing this and are often ill-informed about how the school is running and, particularly, how well teachers are teaching.

I have argued the case for more professional governance in schools which are consistently failing their children. If this means paying governors who could be ex-headteachers or ex-inspectors then this should be done.

Sir Michael

What advice would you give the parents of Ashya King about whether or not his siblings should be in school?

Hello - My son is sitting his 11+ on Thursday. His two choices for his secondary education are the Grammar School or the local secondary school which is currently in special measures. Whilst I suspect that the Grammar school won't be for him, I and many other parents are hugely worried about the fact that he has to attend a school that is woefully under performing. How do schools genuinely turn themselves around, and not fault their pupils, and how do you support them in this process?

@lordnoobson

Hi. Our place bases our appraisal on three grades lesson observations a year. Can you confirm that this shouldn't happen (wrt numbers ? And that OFSTED will not grade individual lessons?

Hello,

A good school and certainly an outstanding one is where teachers are happy to be observed and are happy to observe their colleagues' teaching.

The dissemination of good practice and robust professional development are the hallmarks of a good school.

You are quite right to say that from this academic year Ofsted inspectors will not grade individual lessons but get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching across the school curriculum. They will do this in partnership with the leadership of the school as they visit lessons in the course of the inspection.

Sir Michael

I appreciate your reply , however as far as I and many childminders are aware the 2year old funding has only been allocated to childminders with a GOOD or OUTSTANDING rating anyway. There are now 1,000's of childminders in agreement that your statement could be very damaging, a childminder working alone can only have 3 under 5's and if all the 2 year funded parent follow your advice these childminders are soon going to be out of work , we all believe that a public apology and explanation is in order , thank you

(Some good answers here from Michael Wilshaw in my opinion. He will sleep easier tonight knowing that he did better than Jamie Oliver, I'm sure).

@ReallyTired

My daughter's primary school is OFSTED inadequate. The new head teacher has cancelled anything fun like the school play, termly class assemblies to focus on progress. Opportunites for music, art or drama are now very limited.

Why does OFSTED not look at the wider aspects of education? To be sucessful in the UK our children need more than good exam results. I feel that an incredibly narrow education that focusses on SATs fails to develop verbal communication and interpersonal skills needed for the 21st century.

I want my daughter to have similar opportunites for developing her verbal communication skills that Nicky Morgan had at Surbition High.

Hello,

Ofsted inspectors do focus on the culture of the school and how the leadership group and teachers are developing the talents of individual pupils. Inspectors will be saying much more from this academic year on the breadth and balance of the curriculum. Indeed, schools are required by statute to publish their curriculum on their website. Inspectors will be looking at this in much greater depth before starting the inspection.

Sir Michael

I agree with you about the need for paid professional governors.

Sir Michael, your response at 11:59 to Senua states parents should regularly feedback using ParentView. I think many parents may believe they can only submit one response, and negative one will trigger an Ofsted inspection.

Anamenotanumber - the HT changed my parent survey from 'disagree' my child feels safe at school to agree. I challenged through governors when he published that 100% of children felt safe at the school. HT also cherry picked his way through two surveys for each child (they have different class experiences) to put together a 'family' response - making it impossible to compare one year's surveys with previous. More governor oversight on how HT's manage data is required.

Why are schools still not being held to account for their lack of SEN provision.

The ofsted reports i have seen have at most one or two paragraphs describing SN provision.

Filing reports that have been sent to the school from outside agencies that may be working with a child does not determine if the school is providing those recommendations to the child.

How are Ofsted going to monitor whether each of those children are actually receiving the care necessary to perform well at school and decipher which schools have become adept at blagging your inspectors and are in fact doing nothing or as little as possible to support those children?

@parentvoice000

Just two of my parent highlights after one day back at an outstanding primary school - visited by Ofsted 6 years ago, since which time it has had 3 HTs and only one original teacher remains.

Medication Control - First day back, I asked for last year's medication for DD to be returned. Secretary hunted in the medicine cabinet and couldn't find it - did find meds for children who have left the school. At end of the day I was verbally informed last year's teacher took it home and it will be returned to me tomorrow. In social care settings this would be cause for dismissal.

Behaviour - Day one Ds (Y6) received first hit to his head this year, by his new seating partner - the same child who in the last 2 years has delivered various punches, repeated kicks to the groin, and hit my child in the face with an allergen which led to breathing difficulties and me being called to school. Of 9 serious incidents recorded in 12 months, when a governor investigated only one of those incidents was recorded in the behaviour file - Ds was not considered to have been bullied. HT's failure to record has been interpreted as an absence of incidents.

Under the current HT my child learned being punched and kicked is always an 'accident' and telling leads to bullying for 'snitching'. Since last year he no longer wants to speak up.

Parents across schools speak of bullying/behaviour that is endemic across schools; they become inured, accepting lower standards of behaviour as the norm.

It is unacceptable for children to feel anxious at school because of other children's behaviour. Schools, part of the safeguarding system, are themselves failing to provide environments for children where they can feel safe from fear and physical violence. More needs to be done. Improve the identification, recording and management of behaviour/bullying in schools.

Recognise that the Anti-bullying awards are meaningless and self-congratulatory ways for county councils to say their schools are safe environments handling behaviour well - our HT recently secured an anti-bullying award for the school.

Parent-school partnership needs to become a reality which allows genuine, recorded feedback from parents. Right now the only recorded voice we have is parent surveys - poorly constructed, and analysed and reported by HTs. It is not enough.

So, my questions:

1. Does the above seem a reasonable experience in an outstanding school?
2. Does it seem a reasonable experience in any school?
3. Is Ofsted identifying HTs who game the system by hiding evidence?
4. Is Ofsted going to inspect every school after a change in HT?
5. Is Ofsted going to give governors of state-maintained schools the same rights to access data/systems as those in academies and improve governor oversight?
6. What is being done to improve behaviour / bullying in schools to make them safer environments?
7. How can parents become more involved in education and raising standards?

Hello,

I am sorry to hear that standards appear to have deteriorated in your child's school which was previously judged outstanding. If these concerns continue then you should write into Ofsted. We will then look at these concerns as part of our risk-assessment process to judge whether we should inspect.

As you probably know, legislation was passed recently to prevent Ofsted inspecting outstanding schools as a matter of routine. Nevertheless, the same risk-assessment process applies to these schools and we will inspect if we see a dip in performance.

Sir Michael

"Schools are required by statute to publish their curriculum on the school website"

Ours doesn't and has recently been had an Ofsted inspection.

It has curriculum listed on the bar in a lovely fancy font but there is nothing there when you click on it so I have absolutely no idea what they're doing.

I would second cup's post. School was fairly recently inspected but the inspection did not pick up the difficulties with Sen provision and adherance to the code of practice or to written IEPs of some children.

nor can it pick up on the attainment/progress of gifted children if the school are refusing to assess ability beyond the curriculum taught that year. (despite private ed psych assessments being available in many of these cases)

seagulls the dreadful secondary nearest to me doesn't either but you can access it from the Ofsted site, you can search across all schools :)

Are you going to answer the question about inspection dates being leaked to Ormiston Victory? It's been asked twice (and only once by me).