Devastating OFSTED. Should I change schools?

[jlt23]

My 4yr old is in reception class at school. We have just had notification of the OFSTED report which is absolutely awful. The school has gone from one of the best in the area to the absolute worst. Completely inadequate across the board including health, safety and welfare. It states that the decline of the school is set to continue and they have been placed on special measures. Would I be to hasty in looking to move her to another school? Would love to hear what other Mums would do.

What balia and others say.

Do you mind me asking which area of the country you are in? I ask because the SofS is targeting specific areas to send Ofsted in to judge schools to be inadequate so that he can give the schools to his friends and Tory donors, otherwise known as the Academy Agenda. So 'Special Measures' in Birmingham doesn't mean the same as it does in Surrey, for example.

The area that I live in in one of these areas - there weren't any school in special measures a year ago and now there are at least 5 (out of 56), despite the fact that results are improving.

It's a horrible situation to be in as a parent, but I'd sit tight, see what changes and improvements there are going to be. If your child gets a good teacher next year, tbh, that's probably your priority at the moment.

We are in Leicestershire Rosebud05

This has recently happened in our school (hence the name) and I posted on it a couple of weeks ago and received similar advice. Your situation sounds really similar to ours, in fact if it wasn't for the dates I'd think it was the same school! The next village to ours (which was also generally thought to have been very good) has also been put into special measures. It does seem to be happening a lot....

Now the dust has settled a bit on ours I'm feeling much more confident in the short term. They have put a very good interim head in place and there has been a really thorough review of teaching which has already started to be implemented. My 4 yo DS is in reception, which - as with yours - is deemed to be good. I see him in the best place as he has already had good teaching and is going into a year which was failing but now has lots of support (and hopefully a new teacher). The school meeting really reassured me on this front because there really has been significant quick action on the problem teaching fronts.

In the longer term I'm more concerned. Our head situ is still not settled. I am also very wary of the academy programme. The LEA, diocese (ours will be a CofE sponsored academy if it goes through as it is CofE now) and interim head were all quite candid that they didn't see anything in the academy process that would be of any benefit to the school (given that there would be a change in leadership anyway). The head said privately that he saw this simply as a way of showing the 'success' of academies as our 'nice' school, with lots of parental support and much good teaching (as well as the admittedly bad years whcih are being sorted) would quickly turn around and so be a political 'success' for the academy programme. Their view was that the academy process would happen and they didn't want to waste energy fighting it but there was a clear concern it would take energy from the prime focus of sorting out the teaching of maths in KS1 etc.

I am thinking that if the core of the school is good, there is a clear acknowledgment of problems and a plan for sorting them out then its best to stick.

I am not usually a conspiracy theorist but the 'academy agenda' does seem to be in evidence round here. Lots of schools that are essentially good but need a kick to stop some areas slipping are suddenly being plunged into special measures with irrevocable consequences that yo ucan't resist.

Sorry that is a bit of a stream of thought!

Rosebud, are these schools being set up for academizing mostly Home Counties?

I ask because one of the areas we are looking at in Oxfordshire has just had its primary school suddenly downgraded from Good to Inadequate, same as jlt23, are we going to see this happening more often? (and how are we supposed to choose an area to live in?! )

ours is Oxfordshire... PM me if you would like to discuss if it is the same place!

The academy thing is worrying me. Is that what it could really be about?
Do most 'special measure' school get appointed a new head/teachers or will they be giving the existing ones a timescale to make improvements?
It scares me to think this could possibly be underhand.
specialmeasures How do you/ did you feel re: moving schools?

boulevard, the first wave were urban areas, which were immediately appealing for the academy chains (Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby, Haringey are some of the 9 LAs that were initially targeted - sorry, can't remember others). Although from what pps are saying (and I've heard on the grape vine) it looks like the DfE are broadening their net.

specialmeasures, your Head sums it up exactly. The agenda is to force schools which are already improving to convert and claim them to be successes for the academy model.

A school near us has just gone into special measures, shock all round although there were it seems little tells that things weren't quite as good as they tried to make out.
I this case it was 4's for everything apart from the behaviour and pastoral care category.
I think if this school had been inspected by the old system it would probably have got 3's and just avoided special measures by the skin of it's teeth.
One of the big things the inspection kept going at was that pupils were not making acceptable progress even though the KS2 results are on or just above national average, the school is almost a victim of it's own success in that the early years is exceptional good, children start above average and then start Y1 working well above average but then from that point the progress is slow. KS1 was slammed badly in the report while KS2 was said to be improving, just not as well or a quick as needed.
I am a big fan of children going to their local school and bang on about the big picture and the poor value of looking at schools in terms of inspections and results but I have had to think hard on this, would I be happy if my children went to this school and I read that report and as uncomfortable as it made me feel in regards to my opinions I had to admit I wouldn't want my children, especially my dd at this school. The areas they picked apart were areas that my dd has benefited hugely from the outstanding teaching and culture of her school and if it is like the report reads my dd would not be doing as well as she is however I do think that if my children went to this school a huge amount of what was said in the report wouldn't have been very out of the blue so I would have been concerned even before I read the report.
I guess what I am clumsily trying to say is that only you can know if the school going into special measures is a deal breaker in regards to you looking to move schools. I do however see that if the yearly years provision is good and it is once they get into KS1 that things deterioration (just like at the school near me) and your first child is currently in reception you wouldn't have a handle on the KS1 problems yet. I guess I don't know what I would do, I would probably sit it out though as your dd is happy and enjoying school, things will start to change quickly, in the school near me the head is already gone and a team of very experienced senior level staff have come in, in a way your dd going into Y1 next year couldn't have come at a better time, she will see the fruit of the changes without having to have gone through the decline.
I would imagine the school will hold meeting to keep parents informed of what's going on and I would recommend attending, the governing body may be replaced, I would recommend if you have time joining and if you have personal questions that relate only to your child's school experience ask for meeting with her teachers and the head. I would stick it out but I can also see why you may want to jump ship, your dd only gets one chance after all, as a back up option have you looked into the possibility of spaces at other local schools, it may be that you have no option but to sit tight and become part of the solution rather then leaving on the last lifeboat.

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep I think we may be talking about the same school although specialmeasures your description seemed very familiar at first bar a couple of differences, I thought it must be a different school until you mentioned area, can you PM me to see if we are all three talking about the same school!

What area are you roadkillbunny if you don't mind me asking? The report sounds identical.
I have looked into a place at my second choice school which has in fact improved so much in the last 3 years that it is now the best in the area. They said they would love to take my dd but because of intake restrictions, (it is a very small school) I would have to go through admissions. I'm assuming that would be a risky and lengthy process? but one I would be willing to take if need be.

Both DDs schools primary and secondary have been down graded from good to satisfactory.

The secondary had a jolly good smattering of grade ones.
The latest OFSTED turns 2-3 and 1-2.

Yes some of it's criticisms about not pushing achievement across the board are valid, but the same issues have always existed. Parents of children who have now left said it's a good school if you keep it on it's toes.

The primary too coped it big time, basically because a couple of DC didn't get L5. Strangely they didn't mention maths which was IMO weak and roasted them for English.

This was DD1 cohort several DC just missed the grade boundary. They were unlucky far more than badly taught.

Sadly, what I agree is almost certainly a political judgement, means a nice small school is now in danger of becoming too small

ofsted has changed its way of measuring. all schools basically 'downgraded' as a result. the school i teach in just put in special measures for technicality - really daft imho. school still lovey, friendly and welcoming and doing its best by the kids. i 'd send my school here! use large pinch of salt but trust your gut and talk to other parents perhaps with older kids?

It's gone from good to special measures in 3 years?? That would concern me.

OP - I know quite a lot about OFSTEDs and the sub texts of the reports- if you feel like pm ing me the school name I'd be happy to have a look for you. Ignore this post if you don't want to!

thanks seeker

We are not in the same area jlt21 although I did wonder until you told us your area, seems to be a common criticism, makes you wonder.
I am however convinced that the poster I mentioned and I are talking about the same school!

I think it's not just about whether you're happy or your child's happy or other parents are happy.

Unless you're a school governor, or work for the school, and unless you know enough about another school to compare it too - you can't really judge a school.

It took me untill Y4 to work out what a bad school I was sending my kids too. And even then I only really clicked once I'd been a governor for a year.

Reception is young, and if your child doesn't have any SEN you've probably got time to stick it out for the couple of years it'll take to turn round.

But become as informed as you can. Especially talk to parents with kids further up the school. It's very, very hard for parents to know what a schools really like.

My dds infants school was placed in Special measures when she was at the end of Y1. The main issues were poor teaching and management. dds year group were judged then to be "significantly below the level expected for their age".
What happened was that the Head left and was offered "early retirement", the LEA brought in a temporary head and several advisors (one took over as Deputy Head). All the teachers were monitored very closely and a few left during this process. The infants and junior school were amalgamated to form a new primary school and a new Head and management structure was appointed.
When a school is in Special Measures, they have to fill any vacancies with experienced, good teachers and not NQTs - so any replacement teachers should be fine.
Interestingly enough my dds year group did KS2 SATs last Summer 2011 and achieved the best results the school has ever had and above the national average! The school is now rated as "Good with some Outstanding features" by OFSTED.
Some parents did opt to move their children, but the school they moved to ended up in special measures a few years later so it could be counter-productive.

jlt - has there been any significant change in your school recently? Sudden massive staff turnover? New head? Change in catchment?

My DDs school has failed in the past year, because of management.

I did initially panic, but they are SO happy there and DD1 (yr 1) is above the national average so educationally she's doing just fine.

If your DD is happy there, is learning OK and has nice friends then I would leave her there.

I was told it was better to 'fail' than come out satisfactory as loads of money is pumped into the school to improve it and it won't just coast along getting worse. They have to bring it up to Osted level 2, rather than floundering at a 3.

Our school went from good to satisfactory last year...and hey presto became an academy last month. What a coincidence! All being sold as recognition of what a great school it is (i do actually think the school is good) but all sounds like management speak to me.

I would agree with indigo - it's incredibly difficult to know what a school's really like even if you have children there.

I don't agree that the text of the new Ofsted framework is at all helpful schoolsnightmare - it's all cut and pasted so there are very similar phrases used in all reports. (I think that's why there are so many 'are we talking about the same school?' threads on here at the moment).

With a child in reception, I'd sit it out and only think about moving them if they weren't progressing or there were serious concerns about health and safety.

Rosebud05 I agree. That exerpt from Schoolsnightmare was almost word for word what went into our local school's report. I found the whole report really difficult to read. It was terrifying at the same time as being really un-illuminating.

Health and safety would be my big initial concern.

Do you have more details? Has the school responded to the rating as to what has happened and why?

before the OFSTED rating, what did you feel about the school and how your DD was getting on?