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Primary education

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Original poster

Looks like we got an Ofsted Level 4.....what happens next?

42 replies

calzone · 23/01/2014 20:38

So so sad. Everyone works so hard.

Not had our result yet from Ofsted inspection in November. From doing some digging, it looks like we got Inadequate....not sure in which areas.

MockSted are coming again next week......Where the hell is the Ofsted report and why has it taken so long? We are all on our knees and sooooo demoralised!

So, if we are level 4, what will happen next?

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Original poster

calzone · 23/01/2014 22:40

Bump

OP posts:

Hellosquiffy · 23/01/2014 23:08

Do you work at the school? if so surely their would of been a staff meeting to discuss the outcome of the inspection if it was a level 4? What is Mocksted?

Original poster

calzone · 23/01/2014 23:18

I work at school as a TA.

No result has come through officially. HT knows but is not saying.

We had a mock Ofsted in Oct and got a req imp.....they are coming back nx week to observe again.

OP posts:

PenelopePitstops · 23/01/2014 23:20

It will be on the ofsted website by now I think. Have you looked?

PenelopePitstops · 23/01/2014 23:21

Is it an internal mocksted?

If you got a 4 I'd be surprised if the head was still there.

5madthings · 23/01/2014 23:22

Our school got s 4 laat nov as well, we heard quickly, tbh I think its bollocks, the school has a few issues but its not a failimg school and has above verage results for our county.

Our head is still here but we will be becoming an academy...

5madthings · 23/01/2014 23:23

They ahve drawn up a plan with the local auhtority and are keeping paremts imformed etc.

Hellosquiffy · 23/01/2014 23:33

I have just had a looked up mocksted and I think I know what it is now. It's not good that the HT doesn't keep staff informed calzone, If you don't know what's going on I take it neither do the parents. FWIW I think there are many schools experiencing similar at the moment especially in the area we live.

Onesie · 24/01/2014 00:02

Have you looked on the ofsted website? The report will be published online.

A school that is at rock bottom in theory should improve. They should have support, more inspections, possibly money etc thrown at them.

MillyMollyMama · 24/01/2014 00:53

Not much money around these days. Usual categories for failing are inadequate teaching, inadequate learning (even though results might be OK), poor management and governance and poor lesson planning/delivery where previous learning and ability is not taken into account. Schools who get level 4 often don't know they need to improve or have the capacity to do it so that is another problem often identified.

Most staff work hard, but Ofsted are looking for effective working, not just hard work. I expect publication has taken a long time because the school have contested it. The Head is poor if staff have not been informed about what is happening. You should not have to dig. Also you do not appear to have, so far, been involved in any planning to improve the situation. How are staff supposed to do well in the observation if they have not spent any time working on the issues highlighted in the Report? Crazy!

brettgirl2 · 24/01/2014 08:05

interesting dd's school ofsted was at the start of dec and the report is not yet online (just checked). No communication at all. I am not going to have hysterics whatever the result but definitely feel parents need more info. Are there a lot of results taking ages or is it just if it's a 4? Government had big agenda re: academies....

Original poster

calzone · 24/01/2014 08:17

Checked Ofsted website every day....nada!

HT arrived in Sept so will want to 'turn it around' I suppose.

HT just says to parents that the report is not out yet!

OP posts:

brettgirl2 · 24/01/2014 08:22

Sounds similar apart from ht being awol (parents have no idea why, lots of flying rumours). Also bad ks2 results last year. Interestingly though before all this happened ofsted seemingly thought all was hunky dory less than 12 months ago. It's also a lovely school and dd is very happy.

I reckon they are contesting a 4 but why can't they may say that? Also I must admit it hadnt occurred to me the staff didn't know

ReallyTired · 24/01/2014 09:36

Have you had a real OFSTED or a mock inspection. If your school is in category there will be long period before the inspection is produced as the school has the right of appeal.

There are two categories of inadequate - special measures and serious weakness. It may well be that HMI are deciding which sub category the school fits into.

If the school is in special measures then the head will be sacked and the governing body will be replaced with an interim board of local authority experts. Special measures certainly mean that the school will faced forced academisation.

If the school is deemed to have serious weakness then HMI will look at whether the head and govenors has the capacity to turn the school around.

In either senario, its likely that at least half the teachers will either have a long term nervous breakdown, resign or be sacked. You will be able to cut the atmosphere with a knife and teachers will be observed constantly.

Whether a school gets money thrown at it depends on the county's views on academies. Our school (in hertfordshire) has had a lot of support thrown at it. My SIL's children's school which is in surrey has basically been hung out to dry.

Lots of schools have failed OFSTEDs and there is simply not the money to support them all.

temporary · 24/01/2014 09:36

Our school is in SM so we have termly inspections. For the last two terms it has taken over a month, maybe closer to two, for the report to go up on the website, although in each case the staff were all informed immediately after the inspection so parents who asked could find out informally what the situation was.

Chocovore · 24/01/2014 09:42

Reallytired, some if what you are saying is not true. This bit. - If the school is in special measures then the head will be sacked and the governing body will be replaced with an interim board of local authority experts. Special measures certainly mean that the school will faced forced academisation.

We went into Special Measures last June. We still have the same Head, the same staff, the same governors. Academisation was suggested originally but we fought hard against it and hope that idea has been knocked on the head. I don't think it is as clear cut as you are making out.

Gini99 · 24/01/2014 09:48

When our school went into SM there was a two month gap between the inspection and report. The school were contesting the report (unsuccessfully) and then there were negotiations to manage out the Head who (so rumour says) was claiming stress, lack of support etc.

The school then got fantastic KS2 results a few weeks after the report (100% level 4 and something like 70% level 5…. pretty good given the inadequate teaching…). Had a good monitoring visit with an interim head. Then got a new head from an 'outstanding' school and were up to 'good' by the next OFSTED, pretty much exactly a year after the initial report.

It was a pretty awful year for the teachers I think but no-one was forced out, the interim heads were great at creating a positive atmosphere and dealing with some issues that really did need sorting out. The academy process started but because the school were out of SM so quickly they were able to stop the process before it became inevitable.

ReallyTired · 24/01/2014 09:58

"The school then got fantastic KS2 results a few weeks after the report (100% level 4 and something like 70% level 5…. pretty good given the inadequate teaching…). Had a good monitoring visit with an interim head. Then got a new head from an 'outstanding' school and were up to 'good' by the next OFSTED, pretty much exactly a year after the initial report. "

A lot depends on the area. In a really wealthy school those sort of result are expected. A school has to perform on more than SATs results. A school that systematically manages out children with special needs deserves to fail its OFSTED inspection. I am sceptical of a school that gets 100% level 4 and prehaps they acheive those sort of results by making EAL children, travellers, children with Downs, Autism, dyslexia unwelcome.

"We went into Special Measures last June. We still have the same Head, the same staff, the same governors. Academisation was suggested originally but we fought hard against it and hope that idea has been knocked on the head. I don't think it is as clear cut as you are making out."

I find that unbelievable. Are you sure that the school was not placed in the sub categeory of "serious weakness" rather than "special measures". There is a subtle difference between the two.

Gini99 · 24/01/2014 10:09

Yes it is a fairly (but not exclusively) wealthy area with lots of professional parents so I agree you'd expect the results to be good. Not sure that I have come across any EAL, traveller or children with Downs there to be managed out… Problem had been that the Yr 6 teacher was on maternity leave the year before and the person who'd replaced her was not used to Yr 6 so the results had dipped to about the national average. That seems to have triggered OFSTED coming in with the pre-conceived conclusion that the school was going downhill. As the experienced yr 6 teacher was back the results actually popped straight back up.

Hellosquiffy · 24/01/2014 10:14

I should imagine that gross misconduct would be the only reason a HT would be sacked...or maybe they just walk because it's too much stress.

Chocovore · 24/01/2014 10:15

ReallyTired, this is the report I have cut and pasted from the Ofsted website, excuse the formatting

Inspection dates 22 - 23 May 2013

Achievement of pupils - Inadequate 4
Quality of teaching - Inadequate 4
Behaviour and safety of pupils -Good 2
Leadership and management - Inadequate 4

Previous inspection:Outstanding 1
This inspection:Inadequate 4

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils
This is a school that requires special measures.

ReallyTired · 24/01/2014 11:17

Prehaps different counties do things differently.

We were told that if achievement of the pupils was inadquate then teaching was automatically rated as inadequate and behaviour and leadership could not be any better than requires improvement. Behaviour of pupils looks at attitude to learning a child who is not achieving academically is automatically assumed to be lazy. (even if they have major SEN Very unfair!)

I have to admit that I am surprised. Our school is only "serious weaknesses" and there has been lots of staff who have had the "push". The ruthless view taken by our LEA is that if a head teacher has got their school into such a mess then they deserve the sack.

"I should imagine that gross misconduct would be the only reason a HT would be sacked...or maybe they just walk because it's too much stress."

I am not sure how easy it is to sack a headteacher. I suppose that a head teacher could be given a verbal warning after a failed Mocksted. (Ie. Lea inspection) and then a written warning if year 6 SATs are not up to scratch by the LEA.

There is a lot that happens behind the scenes that we don't know about. An LEA should not need OFSTED to know which schools are unsatisfactory.

Every school in my area that I know of in real life that has gone into a category of concern the head teacher has departed rapidly. Maybe they have resigned in shame or prehaps its a case of leaving before they are pushed so that they can ressurect their teaching career doing supply.

Chocovore · 24/01/2014 11:27

The thing is, in our case, the Ofsted was a complete sham and the report is full of lies. We are not a failing school and our SATS came out a few weeks after the report proving that. Our Head is also a Local Leader of Education so claiming the leadership was inadequate is a bit odd....

StarlightMcKingsThree · 24/01/2014 11:30

The report might say excellent teaching and staff, weak governors in fear of autocratic ineffective headteacher who doesn't communicate with staff.

SapphireMoon · 24/01/2014 11:34

Chocovore, does your school have the sort of parents that home tutor? That could partly explain why SATs results are good and maybe teaching isn't?
Progress from starting points very important with ofsted, not just bottom line SATs results.

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