Not going through threshold

[leroymerlin]

I need some voices of reason. I got turned down for threshold today as my results weren't good enough. After having had a couple of years out for maternity I am now on my third year of mps6. Help me to feel positive about this, I get outstanding in my observations, feel like a good teacher but they were a bottom set. Love my job but feel so terrible about not being good enough. Can't stop crying.

Was it the attainment that was not up to scratch or the progress?

Under OFSTED guidlines you can't be deemed outstanding unless the children are seen to be making progress.

If you have been deemed outstanding (brilliant by the way ) then them refusing your threshold does not add up.

But seriously- don't let the fuckers get you down. I know you want the money but the whole system is bollocks- They are the problem not you.

People who work with poorer pupils academically are stuffed under current rules. I am a SN teacher and feel your pain. My PM is reliant on my statemented pupils with significant language delay making 3.5 APS points every year.

It's a fucking farce.

PS sounds like you are much more than good enough. I would seriously think about moving schools- sounds like your SMT are trying to save money...

Thanks, for your responses. I've watched two episodes of Breaking Bad and eaten a box of chocolates. Guess it's just hard to be told "could do better" when you're doing the best you can. Tomorrow is another day.

I had this too... And it took four months (yes you did read that right!) for the decision to be made.
I didn't reach my target of 80% or more achieving predicted grade.... Which I understood to mean the predications I made (which they did achieve), but the head interpreted to be FFT. I was , but I don't have the energy to fight it as I'm supposed to be moving on the 18th, but still don't know for sure yet.

I had a similar experience - turned down for UPS because my bottom Maths set didn't make the required amount of progress. Also, the HT refused to take into account any evidence from my previous school (which I was subsequently told was wrong). So I left the school - there was a completely unrealistic expectation that the least able children would suddenly make accelerated progress and do better than all the other children in the school. Leaving was the best thing I could have done - I am sooo much happier where I'm working now. Still haven't gone through threshold nearly 3 years later mind....

I left to go on maternity on mps 6 and haven't returned yet, 5 years later
Do you,still need two years worth of assessments etc to apply? God I'll be 40 and just going though at this rate!

As long as you can show you made all possible steps to support them then not making progress cannot be held against you. Did you for example contact parents when the students were not performing as they were expected to? Did you provide catch up sessions and revision sessions, all that shows you did what you could so it's not your fault. Argue it!!

Are you using the national transition matrices to compare your students' progress with national averages? Fewer students with a low average KS2 point score make 3 levels of progress than students with a high average KS2 point score. If you use a transition matrix, you can demonstrate that your students are making expected progress, even if they are not all meeting their FFT targets.