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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

A WWYD and AIBP about an ofsted...

24 replies

seeker · 28/03/2010 08:44

AIBP means Am I Being Petty......

There is a village school near us that trades very much on its reputation for being the best in the area. It has excellent results, but not entirely through its own efforts (it has a huge catchment advantage over all the other local schools, for example) It's the school that the "yummy mummy" type parents always go for then look down their noses at the rest of us!

Anyway, their last OFSTED marked them down from Outstanding to Good a year ago, and I've just discovered that they are still handing out the Outstanding report, and calling themselves and Outstanding school on their website.

Our school is the nearest other one to them, and we are ridiculously proud that we moved from Satisfactory to Good in the same OFSTED round, and I can't help thinking it's not fair that people still compare us, and think that they have been officially judged as better than us when they haven't.

So, shall I shop them?

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rabbitstew · 28/03/2010 08:59

Shocking they are doing that, and I probably would have it in me to contact the school to ask them why their website is so out of date, given their last OFSTED report...

...but I doubt it would stop the yummy mummies making sure their children go there, as they will want to make sure their school is reassuringly middle class, with no element of riffraff...

miaow.

Original poster

seeker · 28/03/2010 09:05

Oh I know that! We're oversubscribed anyway, and so are they so it won't make any difference practically. And anyway, we love our mix of riff raff and yummy. It just rankles!

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Hassled · 28/03/2010 09:28

Don't shop them until you've spoken to them and asked why. It could just be that they haven't updated that website page etc.

But if you think it's a quite deliberate attempt to mislead then yes, I would ring Ofsted. Apart from anything else, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for those schools which actually are Outstanding.

basildonbond · 28/03/2010 09:39

yes you are being petty ... it's got nothing to do with you - just keep on trumpeting the many virtues of your primary as you normally do

Original poster

seeker · 28/03/2010 09:43

The old Outstanding report is in the information pack that goes out to prospective parents. And the website is updated impressively regularly.

I can't go in because they know me - my nephew is at the school. My brother is one of the nose-looking-down-yummy-mummies!

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 28/03/2010 09:53

I'm with seeker on this

FAQS here - about halfway down it says about the timescale to get an ofsted report onto the school website; if they are displaying wrong info then that's Not Right

SO I would ring LEA in the first instance

gorionine · 28/03/2010 09:56

Your brother is a yummy-mummy??

Where did you get the info that they have had further OFSTED report that is not passed onto the parents?

If you are absolutely sure that they are passing an outdated Ofsted report maybe you could call them and ask why. I agree with you that they are effectively lying to prospective parents.

Original poster

seeker · 28/03/2010 10:09

basildonbond - sounds like I've made you cross. Not sure why, but - sorry!

I am sure because I've seen the info that's going out to parents and I've looked at the website.

And yes my brother is definitely the yummy-mummy in his relationship - his wife is remarkably sensitive. He isn't a competitive-dad - he's definitely a yummy-mummy!

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QuestionsAnswered · 28/03/2010 10:16

I wouold not be happy with a school doing that. I would check on the ofsted site that their recent report is up, check the website still has the old report on it and get a friend to request an information pack and once I had done all 3, yes I would report them to the LEA or Ofsted myself. If a school is essentially lying to get parents to take up places, what kind of school is it?

They will have been downgraded for a reason and although they may not necessarily agree with the findings, they should be honest with parents and explain their viewpoint and/or what they are doing to address the reasons behind the downgrading.

foxytocin · 28/03/2010 10:19

I would contact the LEA as they are doing a disservice to the other schools in the LEA by misselling themselves.

If you have a copy of the info pack itself with the claim then you have evidence with which to back it - and use it.

don't worry about what others think about that school and yours. similar situation where I live. a bunch of people thinking that if their kid didn't get into a certain primary it would ruin their kids' entire future.

the funny thing is that the only thing that separates it and 4 other schools in ofsted reports were relatively trivial as they all were ranked as 'good'.

piscesmoon · 28/03/2010 10:27

Why not just phone up the education department and tell them that you have noticed it and you feel it is misleading?

If the parent really looks into the school they will look on line and get the latest OFSTED so I don't think it really matters. It wouldn't really bother me-wouldn't you rather keep all the yummy mummies out of your school?!
We had rather the same situation here, the school that my DCs went to takes children from a council estate and certain parents wouldn't touch it with a barge pole-this is without even visiting.They started going to church and getting actively involved to go to the 'lovely' little Cof E in the village. They had a really condescending attitude of an unspoken 'we really care about our DCs education'. It was wonderful when the 'rough' school got an outstanding OFSTED and was made a Beacon School with the Head meeting the Prince of Wales-at the same time the 'lovely' village school was having disciple problems! Quite a few took their DCs away and some even changed to our 'rough' school.
We all knew that we had a good school, having looked underneath brochures and websites so it didn't bother us-if they want to feel better it doesn't matter.

QuestionsAnswered · 28/03/2010 10:30

Pisces, wow they had Disciple problems at the CofE school, they must take their religious education seriously there

BoysAreLikeDogs · 28/03/2010 10:31

piscesmoon · 28/03/2010 10:47

A school is only as good as the Head and teachers. It then got a new Head and is much better.

foxytocin · 28/03/2010 10:49

thing is, most parents (round here anyway) will not look up the ofsted website, for better and for worse. i don't think is will be different most places either.

they are not supposed to be dishonest in the information they hand out and that is the bottom line, imo.

NoahAndTheWhale · 28/03/2010 11:05

As someone who is looking at schools in a new area for DS and DD (house move hopefully happening by September), I have been looking at the Ofsted reports for every school that is a possibility. If I did see that a school had a "Good" report and was giving out information that said it had an "Outstanding" report then I would feel that it was a bit wrong.

But tbh, of the schools I have visited, I didn't like the "Outstanding" one anyway and did like a "Satisfactory" one.

NoahAndTheWhale · 28/03/2010 11:07

I think I may be a bit unusual in my spreadsheet of prospective schools . One of the schools I looked round said many people just turn up there when they have moved and assume there is space for their children whereas I have a small military style campaign going on

piscesmoon · 28/03/2010 11:23

An OFSTED is only a guide. Nothing beats going to visit on a normal working day. A Head near me has outstanding for leadership because she is wonderful at paperwork-she is a nightmare to work for and therefore it isn't a very happy school.

wannaBe · 28/03/2010 12:30

thing is, if they can be dishonest about their ofsted report, what else do they lie to parents about?

I would shop them without question.

wannaBe · 28/03/2010 12:35

noah I completely disregarded an outstanding school when my ds started because the parents were only allowed to come and view the school at night. My immediate thought was "why don't they want me to see their working school - what do they have to hide?"

Also agree that an ofsted report is only a guide, and bear in mind that it's compiled based on just two days of inspections, and now that the ofsted framework has been changed it is going to be ni on impossible for any school to get an outstanding in the future and even difficult to get a good.

piscesmoon · 28/03/2010 12:50

If they won't let you view a school when it is a normal day then don't touch it! There is no point in seeing a school with no pupils!

basildonbond · 28/03/2010 19:53

sorry seeker - was just being grumpy this morning - what I meant was that I've been on threads where you sound very secure and happy with your choice of primary, so why worry about what another school is doing?

Original poster

seeker · 28/03/2010 22:43

It's nothing to do with the impact on our school. I love our school. And regardless of anything, our school will be the yummy mummy's last choice. And we're over-subscribed anyway.

But I don't like people pretending to be what they are not. However, if the majority tells me to butt out, I will. Just doesn't sit well.

OP posts:

piscesmoon · 29/03/2010 08:09

Just be thankful that the yummy mummies are in one place-and not your place!

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