How much faith can you put in an "Outstanding" Ofsted report???

[One4TheRd]

My DD is due to start secondary school in September and I can't help but feel that she is going to be a 'lamb to the slaughter!'

The school was my 6th and final choice (I live in a bit of a black spot) and was only on the list due to the Ofsted report it received last July.

It has been known as a troubled school over the years but has had a new head for the last 5 years who has apparently 'pulled it up'. Compared to the other options I knew I would be facing if schools 1-5 were unsuccessful, it was the only one with an outstanding report.

My main query is wether or not schools can gain an outstanding from Ofsted because they have made significant progress from where they were (special measures and due to be closed down!!!), or if they have to be of the same standard as another school that has maybe been consistently high achieving for many years.

At the moment my DD is so excited to be starting secondary school and I feel that she is in for a short, sharp, shock once she starts. Of her current class of 29, she is one of 5 that are going to state secondaries and I feel that she has been very cushioned by her primary. She doesn't know anybody else going to the school...the one good thing is that it is situated around the corner from my place of work.

Can anybody with knowledge of Oftsed reports please offer any advice! Thanks

What does the Oftsed say? If it is outstanding then the school was certainly doing something well.

However, an outstanding Ofsted does not make a school a sort of ersatz private school where children sit in serried ranks working quietly.

I work in an Outstanding school and I rate it very very highly, because of the high qality of teaching and aspiration for the pupils (and indeed by the pupils). But due to its catchment it has a mixed intake in social terms plus a relatively high proportion of students with SEN (we are noted for how well we support SEN students), so it's far from a place where everyone is quiet and biddable. Personally I like a bit of spirit . What I am trying to say is that Outstanding schools are not all the same.

Did you go round the school when you applied? Is she at a private primary or why are so many going private to secondary? What does her new school's ofsted say about teaching and learning, pastoral care and leadership (which are the big ones for me personally)?

Sorry about typos, I can spell, honestly

Thanks for the reply Clary, she is at a state primary that happens to fall into a rather nice catchment area! Most of her friends are tutored and are going to private schools. I have been very realistic about my choices and chose this school over 3 others as my 'back up plan' based on the ofsted. We did go to view it and my DD really enjoyed it even though it wasn't her first choice either.

When I say that the school has a bad name, I mean that most people remember it as being awful (myself included) and unfortunately 'mud sticks'. It is under-subscribed and has a high level of 'poverty'. The Ofsted report states that the school 'really understands the needs of its pupils' and 'the senior management are doing an outstanding job' and that 'attainment of the children, given their starting points, is outstanding'.

I am just worried that it may be a little full on in comparison to my DD's current primary and that the reality of a big comp coming out of special measures could be a sharp reality check for her.

She is a level 5/6 student at the moment and gives 100% to school life, partly because there is a high standard throughout due to such a high % going into the private sector....

We live on the local council estate but DD speaks noticeably well (due to primary school) and I really don't want her to be a target because of it. I think that as a parent I am always going to worry, but outstanding by ofsted has to count for something, surely!

It is a scary time when your eldest moves up to Secondary - and adding into the mix what you say about the school can't help. But IME, secondaries are very used to Yr7 pupils (and their parents) being very worried, and they have programmes in place to help them settle, and guide them through the first couple of weeks, after which you will be wondering what you were worried about. If the HT has pulled a school from SPecial Measures to Outstanding in 5 years, I would have a lot of faith in that management team.

Thank you, I have already been in to speak with the head, who was good enough to give us an hour of his time, but I don't want to be one of those parents who is known to the school!!! Being an only child she has always been good at making new friends, i'm just worried she will go into it wearing rose tinted glasses and end up on the wrong end of a steep learning curve!

TIGGY - that is so true...it is so hard to picture them out of their own comfort zone, especially when you know their 'street-cred-ness' is zero!

I am just a bit concerned that once a school has been given the outstanding, they then know they might not be coming under scrutiny for a while, and if things slip to how they were before it will be a nightmare...it was a warzone for a while, from what I can gather...one of those school where teachers got extra pay for teaching there as it was "challenging"!

It really depends on what you mean by standards. Some people have the idea that schools can only be outstanding if they are highly academic with excellent GCSE results, whereas the criteria is progress made from KS2 and not final results. So what percentage A*-C inc English and Maths does it get? Another area that might be interesting to look at is the bit on the Ofsted report that talks about behaviour.

Yes - the progress the children make overall is judged to be outstanding, but GCSE A*-C inc Maths and English is currently on 51% (86% without)... I know, it could be higher!!! Over the last 5 years it has improved year on year which is good news I suppose. I have an appeal for my first choice school coming up and I think that my desire for it to be successful is so strong that I am imagining all sorts of outcomes that are possibly over-reactive. I am sure that with the right parental support all kids will be fine whatever school they attend...blah blah blah :o

Have you looked at the detailed league tables? Look at the bit where it shows whether low, middle and high attainers are making expected progress. I think that is one of the most telling bits of data.

My DC is in an outstanding local primary and we are seriously thinking of trying for another school. Main problem is kids are not very nice , very mean and basically spoilt by parents who compete to get their kids (because of the outstanding ofsted )in many of whom do not live locally.
We are beginning to think that DC would be better in a less academic not as high performing school SAT results arent everything , make the most of primary school days once they are in secondary the real hard work starts.

What did the head say about their anti-bullying policy? Did you believe him? What do kids already at the school say?

If you wander past the school during the day, can you hear a lot of noise? If you wander past at chucking out time, are kids fighting at the bus stop?

These things are more important than the Ofsted IMO.

How do they get innif they don't live locally?

OP - I would study the Ofsted report carefully. I have 2 DD's at outstanding schools - one is outstanding for everything - the other everything EXCEPT behaviour and learning.

I do think how well most dc do in secondary school is to with their peer group regardless of the school's ofsted report. So what will her peer group be like? If you don't think its going to be great you can get her involved in other interests outside of school such as girl guides, sports, amateur dramatics where she will experience a different and more construtive peer group.

seeker- faith places
mumzy- very good advice that is what we have done with our DC who has made good friendships out of school.