Would this worry you- ofsted

[Retrievemysanity]

Background is DD is due to start secondary in September and we looked round a school that has a good reputation locally, walkable from our house and had an outstanding ofsted rating. We really liked the open evening, impressed with the students, teachers and how each classroom was presented etc. She got a place and then …the school received a ‘requires improvement ‘ ofsted rating.

So, trying not to panic but how bad is this? I’ve read the report, it praises behaviour and says bullying is rare and grades are generally good. These are important to me, particularly the behaviour aspect. The main criticisms seem to be that some subjects have lessons that are poorly planned and assessed and there’s inadequate help with choosing options/careers programmes.

There’s been a change in headship recently and report says new head is aware and tackling the issues but this is in the early stages. I don’t really know much about ofsted but assumed that for the worst rating, results would have to be awful, severe safeguarding breaches or something else dreadful but that doesn’t seem to be the case here unless I’m missing something. Any wise words?!

Wouldn’t worry me, behaviour is good, which is key, what does it say about their safeguarding?

@OnceuponaRainbow18 thank you, yes behaviour is such a big one for me too. Baffles me how it’s gone from best rating to worst though, not sure if there’s something between the lines that I haven’t worked out or not! It says safeguarding is effective and staff have had relevant training.

Sounds like paperwork to me. A lesson can be really good but if they can't come up with schemes of work and learning objectives and outcomes and goodness knows what they get downgraded.

It could also mean that teachers don't give timely feedback or it could just mean they haven't documented it (a problem in practical subjects like drama sometimes). Does the report give examples?

Requires improvement isn’t the worst rating, Inadequate is below it

1. Outstanding
2. Good
3. Requires improvement
4. Inadequate

Requires improvement means that it delivers a satisfactory standard of education

I personally wouldn't be concerned by this but have you maybe considered getting a tutor to 'top up' the lessons? One of our family friends is in a similar position. Generally good school, but the lessons perhaps aren't as 'in depth' as you would like for a GCSE student's lessons, for example. He 'tops up' his child's education with a tutor a couple of times a week?

@Putyourhandsintheair @noblegiraffe Ah, for some reason I thought 3) was satisfactory and 4) was requires improvement! Not as bad as I thought then! Thanks.

@Lovetogarden2022 well she’s not started there yet so I guess we could think about it nearer the time but no I don’t think she’d be up for that, prefers her extracurricular activities and didn’t want to do the 11+ as didn’t want a tutor etc.

@Comefromaway no specific examples, it just says in some subjects the curriculum isn’t sufficiently well planned and sequenced so the kids don’t always make connections in the learning or have depth in understanding. Also says assessment isn’t used as well as it could be to identify errors and misconceptions. Bit odd though because then I’d expect results to be bad but they’re not.

What ate the Progress scores like?

RI means they will be proactive. Many schools have historic Outstanding grades and can be complacent.

This. FWIW I think a school with a recent requires improvement rating will be working hard to improve. A school with an outstanding rating won't be inspected again for a very long time and there is a risk of taking eye off the ball.

From what you've said about the report I don't think there's any cause for serious concern. I would still send her.

DS1's school plunged from outstanding to inadequate last year. I am not worried - it came from something very specific which the school is addressing, and in my opinion it is still outstanding in many ways and offers amazing opportunities.

DS2's school had an inadequate rating when he started in September. While I am a bit more concerned about this one, I don't feel it reflects current reality - it had a tumultuous few years before he joined but now is turning itself around, I know plenty of parents with children at the school and they seem to get on fine, DS2 seems to be doing OK. Ironically at the time when it was dire it had a good Ofsted, now it is better it has inadequate, as the last inspection was 4 years ago as far as I can tell.

It wouldn't worry me at all. If you look at it in a different way - it's a positive - OFSTED have pointed out some areas of concern - the school senior management team will be under pressure to take action so that they can demonstrate at a brief follow up inspection - that they have made decisions and have a plan of action to improve in the areas that were mentioned in the report - better that they have been inspected and these "issues" (whether they are really that important is another much wider discussion IMHO) have been identified. Just stay involved with your daughter (how she is settling in, how she feels about being in school, if she's happy (difficult anyway with kids of this age) - talk to the school or the governors if you want to really understand more. Try not ot pass on anxieties to your DD - IMHO it will help her if you cultivate a positive attitude to school in general and to the school and teachers. I wouldn't want to go back to the age I was in secondary school again - it can be a difficult time and challenging for them on so many levels - especially with tensions in friendship groups and them growing up.

I wouldn't worry at all. I have worked at my kids' school for twelve years. In that time we have been Good, Outstanding and Inadequate. The school, from my point of view, has been consistently absolutely fine throughout. I take it with a vat of salt. We get consistently great results because the school is in a good area with well-behaved kids and staff who want to stay.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves it says 0.74 well above average on that government schools’ comparison site.

@AnotherEmma yes, it hadn’t been inspected for years so can totally see how complacency can set in but then I’d expect results to go down and it to perform badly if that was the case here, which it hasn’t from what I can tell.

@larkstar thanks, yes, I have been super positive about the school because I genuinely loved it when we looked round and of all the schools we visited, she also was the most positive about this one. It’s just this report really took me by surprise and I don’t really know much about how ofsted works as to whether or not this was a sign of a big problem or not. But very much agree about the tricky age, hence why it was important to me that behaviours are good and bullying is rare there which thankfully still seems to be the case.

I'd be happy with that.

My ds first secondary school were good rated. The head was shit. Ofsted report actually dissed some aspects but still got good.

It's all about what boxes they risk.

If the new head knows how to I,prove things that sounds great with regards the future of what to expect.

Fwiw my ds went to another secondary with an ehcp which is also rated good. A million times better and I've no idea how the 2 can be comparable. They just aren't and are known locally to be miles difference in standards.

No, I'm a teacher and it wouldn't bother me at all. On the other hand, I'm always wary of "outstanding" schools. But generally Ofsted tell you nothing about a school.