Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

Original poster

OMG! i have just received ds2s ofsted report and it is beyond terrible

22 replies

belcantwait · 11/12/2008 16:57

they have scored 4 on almost everything which is the lowest you can get and means "exceptionally poor'. am truly shocked and sad. apparently they got a bad report last time and havent improved. it says they start reception average ability and slip behind further and further in yrs1-4. there is slight improvemnt in yrs 5 and 6. its the teaching which is well below average and the pupils progress in the core skills.

ds2 is only in yr1. i moved ds1 2 yrs ago as he was g&t and wasnt progressing. now am wondering what on earth to do with ds2 and dd who is due to start there next sept.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

belcantwait · 11/12/2008 16:58

they have a 'notice to improve'. what does that mean? what if they dont improve in that time frame??

OP posts:

Reallytired · 11/12/2008 16:59

I think you should move your children without any doult. Your children only have one shot at education.

Original poster

belcantwait · 11/12/2008 17:04

i think so too. unfortunately dh is hard to budge. ds1 has gone private and we cant really afford to send the other two . will have to start looking around. its a right royal pita tbh because of school pick up times so willl have to work something out. am so that they havent already acted on it. its far far worse than i had expected it to be.

OP posts:

OrmIrian · 11/12/2008 17:06

Oh dear.

We had an appalling Ofsted last time - 16m ago. Sounds broadly simliar to yours. Difference being that generally we were happy with the school and the report was a shock to us. Now we've been taken out of special measures and are a 'good' school. New HT and lots of work by all the teachers.

We were prepared to take a chance and wait and see. And it paid off. However in your case if this isn't the first poor report and nothing has improved since and you have your doubts already, I don't think I'd hang around.

Original poster

belcantwait · 11/12/2008 17:10

bugger.
the ht is fairly new anyway- last 5 yrs or so. i dont like him. he has no respect for the parents. he blatantly ignores me and walks offwhen i speak to him. he is perfectly pleasant with dh . its a bit of a nuisance really as this school day finishes at 3 which just gives me time to get ds1 at 3.30. all the other nearby schools finish much later. i suppose ds1 could hang around aND WAIT AT SChool. sorry caps lock

OP posts:

UnfortunatelyMe · 11/12/2008 17:16

How is your child doing? Is he progressing? Were you happy until you saw the ofsted?

Reallytired · 11/12/2008 17:21

Surely there must be a comprise between a truely dire state school and private education.

I think that your younger children will really resent it if you do nothing the situation and send your oldest to private school. They might think you love them less than your older child when they get to nine or ten years old.

What about the option of moving your ds1 to a decent state school? Or maybe using an after school club or childminder?

Original poster

belcantwait · 11/12/2008 18:03

unfortunately- no i havent been happy but dh has tried to sweep my concerns under the carpet. ds2 doesnt even seem to want to go to school.

really tired- i think i might try a local village school if they have spaces and we can get in as it is out of catchment. we planned on sending the other 2 to the same private school wehn they reached secondary school age. i just dont think we can do it before then though unfortunately. clearly some kind of middle ground needs to be reached.

cant believe the school have let itselves get in to this mess without trying to sort it out somehow.

its always been the logical place to send them as we practically live next door to it.
its a big school- about 400 pupils

OP posts:

MollieO · 11/12/2008 23:04

Was it the same head as the last Ofsted report? If it is then it is appalling. When was the last Ofsted? Notice to improve with existing head is not good. Five years is long enough to improve a school (if it was failing before he started).

Our catchment school went from being good to having a notice to improve within 3 years. Old head retired a year after Ofsted, new head absolutely useless. Two years after he started the school was put into special measures. Since then they've had a head who quit after two years, no head for a year and now a new permanent head. Nightmare and one of the reasons my ds has gone to private school.

imaginaryfriend · 11/12/2008 23:46

Did you not know about the school's previously bad ofsted before you sent your kids there?

I totally agree that you can't keep one in private education and the others in poor education just to meet the pick-up schedule. You should try to get them all into a good state school. How will you explain it to them when they're adults otherwise?

Original poster

belcantwait · 12/12/2008 09:28

ok i should explain that ds1 has aspergers and was really really struggling socially at the school and that was the main reason we moved him. he isnow in a class of 7 in his private school. ds2 also has a dx of As but is much more able socially. wasnt aware of the poor ofsted report when they all started tbh. i think the last inspection was with the same ht. there is no way i could move ds1 now so will just have to move ds2 and dd. they will get their chance to go to the same private school as ds1 but cant afford it yet.

OP posts:

Hassled · 12/12/2008 09:32

In some cases schools which are given "notices to improve" go on to become very good schools in quite a short space of time - the LA is on the case in a big way, often new experienced LA Governors are drafted in, the Head gets a lot more support, and new initiatives are forced upon a school which may have been very stuck in its ways.

So it may not be a bad thing. A school can go from poor to good very quickly with teh right leadership.

OrmIrian · 12/12/2008 09:34

Agree hassled. LEA pours resources in. Worked with us but the old HT had just left anyway when the bad Ofsted was given. HT makes such a difference.

cazzybabs · 12/12/2008 09:35

You know I might be tempted to leave my kids there for a year...they will get money thrown at the school, all the teachers will be monitored, they will probably bring in a new head...it may turn around.

Original poster

belcantwait · 12/12/2008 11:11

do you think? i feel i am on a tight time frame as altho dd doesnt satart school til next sept i have already applied for her place and only have til jan to change it if i want to. so was thinking if i wanted to move them i would have to do it asap.

OP posts:

lalalonglegs · 12/12/2008 11:32

I'm with cazzybabs - the HT has had five years and not managed to improve so he will be sacked moved on. A new head can work wonders and I am almost praying for a bad Ofsted at my dd1's school as it might mean the dreadful HT is finally slung out.

flixx · 12/12/2008 22:26

If a school is given 'a notice to improve' it means that they are failing but that ofsted believes they have the ability to improve things. Its like been given a warning rather than putting the school into specail measures.

As they have been given a notice to improve Ofsted will come back to reinspect the school in 6 months time.

MollieO · 12/12/2008 23:33

If the school had a poor Ofsted previously under the same head and is now in special measures I would have thought that the LEA/Governors would seek to appoint a new head to take over. The school has gone from bad to worse under the present head's leadership so I'd seriously doubt whether he/she is the right person to now lead its improvement.

UnfortunatelyMe · 13/12/2008 13:35

Another point to think about, is if you leave your child there and everyone else leaves in herds then your child will have a smaller class, the school will be getting thrown money at, the teachers will be given training etc, they will be trying VERY HARD to improve..

mrz · 13/12/2008 13:55

A notice to improve isn't the same as special measures in theory schools are given a short time to come up with a plan and show improvements. I find it odd that two bad OFSTEDs in a row have only led to notice to improve

designergirl · 13/12/2008 14:03

If you have the resources for a private school, why not home educate them instead? Check out the home ed thread for ideas.If you can afford the drop in income it might work for you, until they get to 2ndary level. You don't need to be a teacher.

OrmIrian · 13/12/2008 14:05

When our school got into special measures there was much pursing of lips and sage nodding as hosts of children were pulled out hastily right at the beginning of the school year. And sent to schools that were better. Even though lots of children were very unhappy to leave. Now I guess those same parents might be wondering why they bothered as the school is now being painted glowing terms

If I were you I would wait a little longer and see if a new head is brought in. That will make the biggest quickest improvement. Moving your DD in or after reception year won't be too much of an upheaval.

Flip