Ofsted tomorrow and head and head of ks2 on School trip

[BlackHillsofDakota]

We have had the letter telling us that dd2's School will be inspected tomorrow.
However the head and head of ks2 are in London on a week long year 6 trip. What will happen, will they just go ahead without them or will they have to come back? I really feel
For them, I bet the head is stressing!

I expect other teachers will take over in the trip and they’ll come back.

It is unlikely that Ofsted will call off the inspection, so it will go ahead with who ever is in school.
I would have expected that at least the headteacher should be able to make it back for the inspection by swapping some staff around.

Oh the stress levels there will be through thee roof. The head will be coming back tonight. They won't change the inspection.

We were inspected when the head was on two weeks' paternity leave. He came in.

Stressy time, but good Leadership should prove that it is possible for them to be away without the school falling apart. If everything is in place it should be fine!

I imagine if the school has sent out a letter to parents then the inspection is definitely going ahead. I am surprised the head is on a residential - I teach secondary but I can't imagine the head ever being away for more than a day at a time. SLT will be stressed, but if they're good at their jobs they will be hiding it well. When we had Ofsted in we had a whole department and several other teachers away for training - Ofsted don't want you to change anything from your everyday. I imagine they would want to see the Head though

Good luck to OP's Dad's school - OP, if you're happy with the school make sure you let them know - there will be a parent questionnaire in some shape or form, which is part of the inspection. Of course, also let them know if you're unhappy, but people do that anyway, even without Ofsted.

OP, I have no idea what your dad does OP's DD's school.

Thanks all, I knew they wouldn't cancel the inspection just wondered what the head would do. He went because it's a residential and they needed a male teacher.
I am massively happy with the school and have already completed the questionnaire in full this evening.

Our head always goes with the Y5 and Y6 residentials. Not only is he really hands-on, with just one other full time male teacher in school (Y6) it is vital to have another male one.

Leadership goes to the Deputy and, as she is also a part-time Y6 teacher and therefore also on residential for some days, the head of English who is a Y4 teacher.

A good school should hopefully be able to rescue at least a day without the head when Ofsted comes. If it is a 2 day visit I would assume the hewed tries his best to come back as a matter of urgency.

How good the slt are is irrelevant - no good headteacher would leave their team to go it alone (illness, bereavement and so on aside).

Aside from any other reason, I would be worried about a ‘rouge’ inspector who sets out to find fault. Less experienced/responsible staff should not be left to deal with this. My school was inspected by an inspector that was later sacked (judgement still stood though because...ofsted). With a couple of hours of them arriving SLT had to get the message to staff that inspectors would be doing joint observations and joint feedback only and to not allow an inspector to feedback without somewhere. They were literally scrambling around to protect their staff from this nasty bully who was leaving inexperienced and experienced teachers alike in tears.

I have also known schools cancel interviews and Christmas celebrations so ‘carry on like normal’ is nonsense. Unless you want ofsted to think nativity rehearsals and parties is your ‘normal’

I assume another teacher will travel to London and swap with the head.

Wellthen. I do think you should read the latest Inspection Handbook. These days inspectors go in with a huge amount of data about the school and are looking at how good teaching is over a period of time. It’s not about flying visits to classrooms and finding fault.

However, I do think the Head has to come back. Another member of staff can swap
for the day. Also, Ofsted do know that schools do residentials at this time of year. They would expect the Deputy to be running the school. That’s why they are paid to be a Deputy. If a Head was ill, they would have to take over.

Did the Inspection go ahead?

When I used to inspect, we might go along too... however the best I got was the walking bus!

Most schools who are due/overdue an inspection have a contingency for something like this. A few years ago my head and deputy were on a 3 day residential (school being led by other SLT members).

I was their contingency plan. I took a bag to work incase I had to get the next train to London. I'd swap with the head and she'd shoot back up on the train.

I had my fingers crossed as it would have meant missing the inspection! They came 6 months later!