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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

OK. Should I ignore this information or not?

8 replies

OrmIrian · 07/05/2007 18:21

DS#1 is in yr 5 and DD is in yr 3 at our local primary school. DS#2 is due to start in September. We were happy with it more or less. DS#1 isn't doing brilliantly but he has his own problems with concentration which is slowly improving. DD is turning into a high flier TBH - she amazes me! The school is a warm and friendly place and the teachers are largely very good. But.... a friend of ours met us in town today and in the course of conversation dropped the snippet of information that our school is being 'kept an eye on'. It has failed to improve significantly since the last Ofsted report apparently.She virutally implied that special measures weren't far off We had a fantastic head who is currently off with stress (due to family bereavements as much as anything) but this friend implied that it was more than that. I know that the Ofsted report was cancelled because it wasn't done properly - an Ofsted issue I had assumed rather than a problem with the school. The info comes from someone who works at a secondary school and who has links with the LEA so I assume that she knows a bit of what she's talking about.

I know that the previous Ofsted report wasn't that good but my kids SATS show them as being average and above average - surely that is what matters not how well the school is doing? And if I'm happy with the pastoral ethos and the kids are happy, do I need to worry? It feels like a bit of a bombshell as we've sort of put all of our eggs in one basket iyswim. Help? Should I worry.

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FiveFingeredFiend · 07/05/2007 18:25

No you shouldn't worry. a 'friends' speculation is hardly worthy of attention. Surely if the school had been inspected recently you would be able to see a copy of the report for your self?

DO you have a choice?

Original poster

OrmIrian · 07/05/2007 18:28

The report was withdrawn FFF because it hadn't been done properly apparently - which was odd. So no-one can see it.

She isn't just speculating apparently. She is in the know to the extent that she works in education.

Choice? Well there are other schools but I know nothing about them and I don't see the benefit of moving anyone in yr 3 and 5 really unless I am 100% sure that the school is really have severe problems and I've seen no evidence of that. As for DS#2 - we were looking forward to him starting in a familiary environment with 2 older siblings present.

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coppertop · 08/05/2007 09:54

If you're happy with the school then I would stick with it tbh. My ds1's school doesn't have a good Ofsted report but I know that it's the perfect school for him. If you feel the same way about your school then don't act on the information from your friend.

Hallgerda · 08/05/2007 09:57

OFSTED sometimes get it wrong. My children's school had an undeserved stinker once. If you're happy and your children are happy, don't panic. I would, however, read the report and see if you believe there is substance to it and consider whether the issues raised might affect you. You may find it says more about the inspectors than about the school.

Blu · 08/05/2007 10:00

For most young children, I think being happy in school is the single most positive factor in thier education. If you are happy so far that your children are doing well, i would certainly not do anything drastic until YOU have evidence that anything potentially negative is impacting on YOUR child.

ipanemagirl · 08/05/2007 10:01

Try to speak to a parent governor or the Chairman of governors. It's very important that you are reassured if possible. Having a Head off sick is very stressful for the school though. Is the Dep Head in charge? Or is there a supply Head of some kind?
It's perfectly legitimate for you to seek reassurance.
I'm a parent gov and would be in touch with my chairman of gov like a shot if I heard something this negative.

But your children's experience would imply that its a good school overall!

frogs · 08/05/2007 10:03

Happy children is 90% of a decent education imo. As long as you're keeping a sufficiently close eye on things to be confident they're achieving at an appropriate level and you have confidence in their teachers, then I would be unfazed by gossip even from an apparently 'inside' source. My dc's school had a generally good Ofsted, and is a generally good school, but the things Ofsted picked up on bore no relation at all to our experience on the ground -- the school wasn't really recogniseable from the report.

Original poster

OrmIrian · 08/05/2007 10:34

Thankyou for your replies.

I am happy overall. There is no recent Ofsted report to see as it was withdrawn with no info given as to when it will be repeated. Which is annoying for us and must be terrible for the teachers.

The head was fantastic - he really helped turn the school around (or so I thought) and the children are polite, helpful and enthused in general. The deputy head seems fairly OK too but it's not the same. It was the implication that there was more to his absence than stress that really bothers me - would a head be removed from a school without the parents being informed?

I think that I must go with my gut instinct until I can find any concrete evidence. Just worrying really

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