HELP - What teaching staff tell pupils to do during special measures!!

[pinkflamingo]

Hey Mumsnetters

Don't usually post but need help. got back from work and feeling a bit starry eyed after the conversation I've had with my 9 year old son.

His school is in special measures (long story from outstanding to inadequate in 2 years!) and they're in the middle of ongoing monitoring inspections.

Inspector picked DS to read his current book, the teaching assistant gave him an old book he had read previously and told him not to tell the inspectors he had read the book before!! DS feels uncomfortable and rightly so.

Not sure whether to talk to the school head due to repurcussions or go direct to Ofsted. DH fears person may lose their job as they are under a helluva lot of pressure.

Having a camomile tea with a drop of whisky to calm me down [shocked]

What would you do?

That's a tiny thing to happen. Much worse happens when ofsted go into school.

Really, this is a whole new ball game to me.

Did the inspectors actually ask him if he's read it before? I wouldn't worry too much. Would he remember it word for word?

I think its pretty horrid for an OFSTED inspector to put on the spot to ask a nine year old to read to him/ her. In my experience OFSTED inspectors have watched the lessons subtlely as they don't want to stress the children out. In one inspection my son had a couple of his friends had lunch with the inspector and at another inspection the inspector asked reception children about the playdough model they were making.

The outcome of an OFSTED inspection is done on data.

"Inspector picked DS to read his current book, the teaching assistant gave him an old book he had read previously and told him not to tell the inspectors he had read the book before!! DS feels uncomfortable and rightly so."

That lie could back fire on the school. If the OFSTED inspector believes the child has never read the book before then he will question why the child has not been moved up a reading level.

The inspectors are going to be more interested in the records kept about the children's reading progress.

I don't know if the same applies in primary school....
But in secondary during an inspection, a random student will be selected to read a passage from any text in use at the time. If the student has unable to do so, the lesson is automatically marked as inadequate.

It's in the guidance for Primary Inspectors that they will hear children read so not a rogue "nasty" inspector!

Apparently hearing 2 or 3 children read enables them to judge the quality of the teaching of reading

Nope the inspectors didn't ask if he's read it before.

Thinking about it now, I wonder if the inspectors looked at his reading record book as they would have picked it up that he had read it.

Have calmed down somewhat

Can't tell you exactly what Ofsted do, but in Wales they definitely do ask pupils to read from their current reading book and hey if it sounds like they are doing it too easily then they get them a second more difficult script to read or conversely an easy script. What they will do is compare their reading with what the school is saying is the reading capability of the pupil. The whole purpose of this is to ensure that what the school says is actually borne out in reality, in other words that the school's self evaluation is correct.
I would no bother too much about it, the inspectors will have sussed out the school and if they are exaggerating pupil's capabilities then the inspection outcome will reflect that.

Thanks for that admission and everyone who's posted a response
Am going to hit the hay.
Take care everyone

It's part of the inspection to pick children from each class to read and talk about how they are taught to read.

I'm mildly surprised that the TA had an opportunity to give this message to your DS (or do they know in advance which pupils will be selected?)

It shouldn't matter if the book has been read before: things like fluency, intonation etc will still be detectable.

I do not think TA should have instructed him to lie. Not because of the impact on the inspection, but because it is wrong in itself.

I want to be outraged but as a teacher in a school which 'needs improvement' I know the enormous amount of pressure the staff will be under. Your child shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable - that is wrong. BUT the inspection is for a very short period of time so it's not going to be repeated.
I doubt the person would lose their job but they would probably be formally disciplined. Honestly, I'd mention it to the class teacher if you need to talk to anyone and let them deal with it.

What a complete over reaction! Do you want to cause trouble for some reason? Yes, I think you should calm down. I'd love to hear the actual conversation between child and TA as well, I bet it's not at all sinister.

"It's part of the inspection to pick children from each class to read and talk about how they are taught to read."

Most inspectors want the children to feel happy and at ease. Most RL inspectors I have met have been lovely people. (Unless they choose to send nice inspectors to special schools.) They have an important job to do and if a school is failing then its in the children's best interests for the school to go into special measures. Understandably teachers don't enjoy OFSTED inspections.

An inspector might be in a the room during a guided reading session (he/she will hear how the children read and see strageries used for teaching reading). The inspector would then speak to the children informally afterwards. They might ask them questions about the lesson, but they really try to make the exprience stress free for the chidlren. In general inspectors like children and don't want to make them unhappy. They aren't the evil ogres that some teachers would make them out to be.

NO children shouldn't be told to lie, especially from the school staff. That's exactly where I'm coming from and that's what makes me annoyed.

this is hearsay and the children have been embellishing the story over the years but 2 years ago when OFSTED came my DD2 says that her teacher named the trouble makers in front of the class and told them she wouldn't let them have any break time for the rest of the school year if they acted up whilst OFSTED were at the school. She also made it clear the same went for the rest of the class.

DD2 knew it didn't apply to her so wasn't that bothered but DH and I were pretty when we heard about it. Other children in the class have confirmed this story & that the teacher concerned always threatens them - do this or no tuck/ break/ computer time/ golden time/ etc...

I think the way to view a teacher selecting material that is too easy is

1. she's stressed
2. she's underconfident
3. she's in a panic

It's not to say she's a bad teacher or its a bad school - but it does sound like they don't havea lot of confidence in what they are achieving as a school.

I also agree that OFSTED will most likely have picked up from your DS that he wasn't unfamiliar with this text and if they've missed it they'll also pick up that it was a breeze for him, which means it wasn't an appropriate book selection.

That being the case - honestly - there's no reason to worry about it.

However, you can have a quiet word with the teacher to ensure that she knows you know and that although you understand the pressure she is under, if you get wind of anything like this again you will formally complain, because it is teaching all the wrong lessons: lying, faking results, putting on a show that all is well, etc... to impressionable young children.

Most inspectors want the children to feel happy and at ease. perhaps you are right and they do send nice inspectors to special schools but I remember one inspector growling at a 4 year old "What are you doing?" to which the child replied "Nowt! Honest!" and wet himself. Another shouting because a child accidentally laddered her tights and over the years more than one child reduced to tears by these strangers asking them questions.

If he's 9, then the questions will be more about inference; character development, similarities between text types or other work by the same author, placing it in time and location etc. It's unlikely it'd be that important that he had read it before, to be honest.

I agree, though, the TA shouldn't have put that pressure on him.

Incidentally, the goalposts have completely changed so 'requires improvement' is pretty much equal to the old style 'good'. Ergo it's only one jump down the ladder.