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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

How long does it take to get Ofsted report?

28 replies

MerryMarigold · 13/10/2021 14:06

Ofsted came in to my Ds's school on 28/9. We haven't heard anything since other than an email on 30/9 to say the report would take a couple of weeks. Previously it was an outstanding school but had not been inspected since 2006! (I very much doubt it is anymore). Seems a bit weird they didn't let us know. Other schools I experienced Ofsted, school let us know when Ofsted left but that was primary. So anyway, waiting on it being published. How long do you think it'll take? Can decisions be appealed and would this take longer eg. Sending in further evidence? I'm sure the 'new' HT (he's been there about 4 years) is quite keen not to have dropped the 'Outstanding' status.

OP posts:

CuckooCuckooClock · 13/10/2021 14:11

The official report can take 30 days to be sent to the school (although I suspect the schools management know before that what will be in the report)

admission · 13/10/2021 15:41

The senior school leaders and governors will have been given a flavour of what the report is going to say on the last afternoon of the inspection. However all in that meeting will be told that it has to remain confidential until the official report is published. The reason for this is that the inspection team leader will put the report together and this is then sent to the school headteacher for any factual corrections. and then it has to be moderated by others within the Ofsted organisation.
Having said that it is now looking a bit of a long time from 28th September, which would usually indicate that there is some differences of opinion between the school and Ofsted.
I know this might sound silly but have you been onto the Ofsted site and checked the last inspection report from the school. I have known schools trying to soften the impact by scheduling the release of the document to staff and parents at what is a more opportune moment, for instance a Friday or maybe just before the half term!

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 13/10/2021 15:46

Thank you both. Yes I went on website to check and it wasn't there so I registered to receive an email when it comes out.

OP posts:

cremdaylacrem · 13/10/2021 23:24

A school near me was inspected at the beginning of July but the report wasn't published until late September. It can take a while to go through quality checks and the like. I guess school holidays might have delayed it too, but not sure.

Don't be too harsh on your school if they get downgraded. There's a new ofsted framework which is nothing like any previous framework - focussed on curriculum quality rather than exam results. Also, they're deliberately making it more difficult for schools to be outstanding - they want to save that badge for only the most exceptional schools.

ILookAtTheFloor · 14/10/2021 09:58

If the school has taken issue with the report and puts in complaints etc, it delays it.

I think the turn around to publishing a report is normally around a month. The school receives it first and can raise queries etc. I'm on the Ofsted website now and a secondary that had their report published this week was inspected on 21st and 22nd September. So I would expect it next week.

If it gets to a suspiciously long time I would be getting quite concerned. Some schools, when they fall far, try hard to delay a report's publication for as long as possible.

cremdaylacrem · 14/10/2021 10:15

I think it also takes longer when a grading is going up or down because extra quality checks are needed.

cremdaylacrem · 14/10/2021 10:17

p.s. The school I mentioned that took from July to Sept went up, not down in the grading system, but perhaps not as far up as they hoped, so they may have queried it.

superram · 14/10/2021 10:17

Huge numbers of schools will lose their outstanding grading-don’t read too much into it. The new framework is ridiculous.

NotAnotherPushyMum · 14/10/2021 10:28

@superram

Huge numbers of schools will lose their outstanding grading-don’t read too much into it. The new framework is ridiculous.

All the schools I’ve spoken to who’ve been through the new framework have said it’s so much better than the last one though.

ILookAtTheFloor · 14/10/2021 10:41

The framework is better in many ways, but is just such a departure from the previous frameworks that most schools had to completely overhaul their curriculum, particularly in primary.

Positives include:

Better for individual teachers who will not be 'graded' on their lessons.

Virtually no looking at interval data which is probably unreliable and adds to teacher work load anyway.

More thorough around off rolling, students on part time time tables, peer on peer abuse etc

Less involvement of the HT

It's harder for:

Middle leaders, particularly curriculum leaders at primary who have to be able to articulate the school curriculum vision.

The need to completely overhaul the curriculum intent etc. Eg skills not just knowledge.

It is now incredibly difficult to get an outstanding rating.

cremdaylacrem · 14/10/2021 10:51

@superram

Huge numbers of schools will lose their outstanding grading-don’t read too much into it. The new framework is ridiculous.

I'm reserving judgement, but it has some positives - not least the decoupling of the Ofsted grade from results. Parents can look at league tables for results. But schools often (not always) have contextual reasons for their very good or very bad results. The new framework effectively says "so, given your context, what are you doing about it?" and asseses the quality of the curriculum. Are their bright middle class kids being appropriately stetched and challenged? Do their pp/SEND students have full access to a broad and balanced curriculum? Is the curriculum structured in a way that builds on students' starting points to help them make progress? For example, if maths teachers are trying to teach surds to kids who don't yet know their times tables, their curriculum needs some improvement.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 14/10/2021 13:29

@superram

Huge numbers of schools will lose their outstanding grading-don’t read too much into it. The new framework is ridiculous.

I'm fully expecting it to lose outstanding especially if they are not taking results at much into account 🙌. My son is Y11 so not too bothered as my younger 2 go elsewhere. I'm only curious whether they got a 'good' or whatever is below that (as far as I recall they dumped 'satisfactory' for 'requires improvement').

I've not been very impressed with new Head - he's a bit of a wet fish, but we'll see... I'm just being nosey really as I have wondered about the quality of teaching, the quality of communication and how well they help less able students. As mentioned my younger DC go elsewhere (we appealed for this school and it was rejected) and I've been much more impressed with their school so we shall see.

OP posts:

saraclara · 14/10/2021 13:36

It's been barely 16 days! Only 11 of them working days (not including today). What's the rush and the speculation about? Writing up the report takes a long time. Then it goes for consultation and checking. And then has to be printed/, put on line.

Your nosiness and speculation are way OTT.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 14/10/2021 14:55

Hey, I'm not in AIBU! I was just surprised as my only previous experience was several years ago and the school announced the grading on the day although obviously the report itself took time.

Yes I am nosey. It's the school my son has attended for the past 4 years and that he's sitting his GCSE's with in a few months time. Forgive my noseyness!

OP posts:

saraclara · 14/10/2021 20:24

@MerryMarigold

Hey, I'm not in AIBU! I was just surprised as my only previous experience was several years ago and the school announced the grading on the day although obviously the report itself took time.

Yes I am nosey. It's the school my son has attended for the past 4 years and that he's sitting his GCSE's with in a few months time. Forgive my noseyness!

What sort of school was your previous experience with? Because I've been a state school teacher throughout the entire history of OFSTED, and at no point has a grade been allowed to be shared with parents on the day/last day of an inspection. If the school was a state school and you weren't a member of staff there, there is no way you should have been privy to a grading.

cremdaylacrem · 14/10/2021 20:41

School leaders do know the likely grading on the last day of the inspection, but they're not supposed to tell anyone. Sometimes it leaks out. Sometimes its just obvious from the way senior leaders are bouncing around with a spring in their step or the opposite, and chinese whispers spread the news.

Saraclara, your tone was unecessarily scathing. The op asked a reasonable question.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 14/10/2021 20:49

It was an infant school. It was a long time ago, My son who is taking GCSE's was in Reception, Y1 or Y2 but we definitely found out on the day they left.

OP posts:

saraclara · 14/10/2021 21:49

@cremdaylacrem

Saraclara, your tone was unecessarily scathing. The op asked a reasonable question.

I wasn't being scathing at all. You totally misread my tone.

OP seemed to think that it was normal for parents to hear on the day. Which is why she's slightly perturbed not to have heard about this school's result two weeks later. I was simply pointing out that it's not normal and if she heard on the day last time, it was because someone had not maintained the confidentiality required of them.

cremdaylacrem · 15/10/2021 10:10

I wasn't being scathing at all. You totally misread my tone.

Saraclara, I was commenting on your words not your tone. In particular, these words: "Your nosiness and speculation are way OTT".

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 15/10/2021 13:13

I was being a bit speculative in my third post and called myself nosey too. Apologies for that. I am very interested/ curious/ nosey about the result but I think I probably have every right to be as opposed to it being 'OTT'. When the school hasn't been inspected for such a long time and prides itself on being 'outstanding', it is an interesting time.

OP posts:

santabetterwashhishands · 15/10/2021 13:19

When my sons outstanding school dropped into special measures after an (much needed) ofstead inspection all us parents received a copy of the report through the mail Ona Saturday morning!timed beautifully so you had calmed down enough for Monday morning 🤣.
But usually about 4 weeks to be published to parents on the school webpage.

Original poster

MerryMarigold · 15/10/2021 13:55

@santabetterwashhishands, with Royal Mail these days there's no guarantee who would get it and when. I expect they'll use email to make sure everyone gets it at the same time... But wow, outstanding to special measures 😱.

OP posts:

Mumzoo5070 · 27/10/2021 21:23

MerryMarigold do you have the report yet?

SunShinesBrightly · 27/10/2021 21:29

@superram

Huge numbers of schools will lose their outstanding grading-don’t read too much into it. The new framework is ridiculous.

This!!

It also takes OFSTED weeks and weeks to perfect and publish their cut and paste report. They must all be thoroughly exhausted when it’s all over.

SunShinesBrightly · 27/10/2021 21:36

When the school hasn't been inspected for such a long time and prides itself on being 'outstanding', it is an interesting time.

Schools need to stop using OFSTED ratings as marketing tools.
If the rating doesn’t stay the same an ‘outstanding’ school can only go one way and that’s down.
Schools should just put the obligatory link to OFSTED on their website and make no other reference to them at all.

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