OFSTED are always talking rubbish! Certainly, what they are saying in the news today would suggest that all rubbish teachers teach in market towns and seaside towns because poorer children are falling behind their 'richer' counterparts. It has absolutely nothing to do with 'crap' teachers but everything to do with the perception that the poorer children's parents have of education. Of course not EVERY poor family has such a low opinion of education but a lot do. Many don't encourage their children due to their own negative experiences of schooling or have a poor educational background themselves and through embarrassment or their warped sense of 'I've done okay so my kid doesn't need to learn', they do not support their children's education.
I know of one inspection in which the lead inspector ADMITTED that the inspection he did of a school that was graded 'R.I' was political. He even said that he had been told to inspect the school before three years worth of data was available because it was likely 'not enough progress' could have been made in two years. Apparently a 25% increase in Level 4s at Y6 was not enough in two years and he even said that had he come just a few weeks later after this year's results were in, he would have graded the school as 'good', probably because HE KNEW that we would hit our targets. As it has turned out, due to external moderation, we hadve actually achieved ABOVE national average and our level 5 results are more than a third of the year group. He also purposefully inspected two supply teachers (who have no valid interest in the school)and one only took on a class on the first morning of inspection so had absolutely no idea what he was doing at first and absolutely no clue as to attainment and achievement of the class. I would also add that he had absolutely NO PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AT ALL and the 'lay inspector' also had no experience of some of the newer teaching methods so therefore graded a lesson as 'R.I' because she didn't about it!
So consequently, a school has a 'R.I' grading based upon an OFSTED team who came to inspect in order to discredit an LEA and to make a political statement.
The only way you can judge a school is from the very people who have daily contact with it - children and parents.OFSTED judge lessons based on just 20 minutes of an observation. How can they POSSIBLY make a judgement regarding how well children they do not know, have learnt and made progress???
Not one school, even outstanding schools, are perfect and you have to have an understanding that there may be something you may not like about the school. My child's school is judged 'Outstanding' as are, unusually, the two nearest schools. There are aspects of all three I ma not keen on but need tomake a judgement based upon my son's individual needs. One school is very pushy on targets - something I a not happy with for my son being at primary school. I want him to have arounded curriculum, in which he is gently encouraged, his well-being looked after and where learning is seen as an enjoyable experience - not one in which 4, 5 7 6 year olds etc, are constantly told their next targets to hit the next sub-level.