No notice Ofsted inspections

[rollonthesummer]

Has anyone seen this on the news today? Is this just for 6 months as the article seemed to imply or is it for everyone, forevermore?

Is it for both state schools and academies?!

As a teacher and parent, I vote for no notice ofsted. Never mind the data, it's a joke the way some teachers suddenly have all singing all dancing lessons and have suddenly managed to hold onto the 1-1 support for a particular child when normally they would have been dragged away to do some intervention work with completely different children. Teachers desperately ramming the children's targets down their throats (lol) the day before, teachers being so exhausted post inspection children have worksheets for the rest of the week. Inspectors do not see consistency, they see a show.
Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule.

How can anyone ram targets down children's throats after 2 pm the day before?

Are you still teaching, littlemisssunshine?

As a former teacher, now thankfully not a school teacher, I have seen teachers in schools unbelievably stressed by a few hours notice, and having to stay up all night marking books.
Maybe ofsted understands that not every book will be marked up to date, but the HT insists, and so that is what eh teachers have to do.

While I am totally in support of Ofsted having the power to pitch up unannounced where there are serious concerns (e.g. Trojan Horse), I am totally against unannounced inspections where it's just part of the standard round. It wouldn't alleviate the stress at all, it would just make everyone permanently on edge when Ofsted were due. It's totally a matter of courtesy to phone the day before (too late to prep the kids anyway), to make sure everyone that Ofsted need to talk to will be there, and also that Ofsted are aware of things like mock exams, school trips or work experience where they might need to amend their planned observations, or let teachers know if things can still go ahead.

To turn up completely unannounced, thus risking the head and other major players missing their own Ofsted, which they would absolutely not want to do (and could cause Heads to stay in school around Ofsted time) is just rude, and adversarial. It's basically saying 'we don't trust you'. If an Ofsted inspector couldn't spot any stuff that has been bodged together with half a day's notice that isn't normally on the menu, then they are rubbish at their job.

I couldn't agree more with no notice inspections!
I have seen 2 inspections in our primary, and inspectors definitely do not get a realistic impression of normal school life.

Teachers pulled an all-nighter, children were coached how to behave and for 2 days the school was all singing and all dancing.

I know half a day's notice has no impact on results and progress, but you can do an awful lot of temporary window dressing in half a day.

Kids could be coached how to behave when Ofsted turn up whether it's the day before Ofsted or not.

Teachers might pull all-nighters, but all Ofsted need to do is look in the kids books to see if what is going on is typical. Besides, the teaching grade of a school is the same as the attainment grade for nearly all schools, so if your results are crap, an all-nighter isn't going to make much difference.

Ofsted just turning up will result in a flurry of panic and people rushing around trying to get hold of the right people, the right documents, let staff know etc etc. That's not the best start to an inspection, and probably a lot of inspection time would be wasted waiting for the school to get its act together, allocate a meeting room, pull people off trips etc, all stuff that could have been done the previous afternoon.

Er....,,yes.
You haven't heard anything yet!
'Difficult' children being persuaded to stay at home, teachers on maternity cover to come in just for Ofsted, excellent supply teachers brought in to replace poor teachers, mid day supervisors put into reception to ensure the adult:child ratio is correct and so on and so on.
Not all at one school, some witnessed by myself, other family members who are teachers, head teacher and governors.
Early years have no notice inspections and the nursery manager I know does not get manically stressed daily. It's just another part of the job to realise that Ofsted may be visiting.

I believe most of that, if not all, has become nigh on impossible to arrange with the advent of half-day notices.

In recent inspections, Ofsted have talked to parents, talked to children and looked at the books as a matter of course, meaning all the things you mentioned that could have happened previously would collapse like a house of cards pretty much instantly.

And if you did have experience of a recent inspection, you'd know that, as noble said, the results decide the attainment grade, and therefore the teaching grade before they set foot in a school, so none of that would work now.

Difficult' children being persuaded to stay at home, teachers on maternity cover to come in just for Ofsted, excellent supply teachers brought in to replace poor teachers, mid day supervisors put into reception to ensure the adult:child ratio is correct and so on and so on.

I have heard of all those things occurring, yes. None of them within the last 2 years though. I don't think any of those things would easily be achieved at 2pm day before.

I like the idea of a no-notice inspection but in reality I think it would cause SMT to be in a perpetual state of terror and would make constant unreasonable demands on demoralised teachers 'just in case it's tomorrow'. I think SMT would expect Ofsted-ready Outstanding lessons every minute of every single day and I think the profession would collapse.

Before someone says, 'surely all lessons should be outstanding', I'd like to agree but dispute the definition. We've been told the format of Outstanding lessons (I know Ofsted apparently aren't looking for one lesson ideal any more but not all management members appear to have heard this). The format is mini plenaries/short sharp snappy activities, NEW learning- all the time. If my lesson consolidating something we learnt yesterday (bums on seats and writing) was watched, it would be unpopular. You cannot teach to that model all the time. If the expectation was more realistic, teachers would be less concerned.

Or is my school unusual?

I have heard of all those things occurring, yes. None of them within the last 2 years though. I don't think any of those things would easily be achieved at 2pm day before.

Not all of them, but a lot of them happened in a primary school here last week.

At least two of I witnessed in a secondary school, last autumn term, a week before Xmas.

Getting in excellent supply teachers etc etc will make bog all difference the minute Ofsted look in the kids' books. Which they will because lesson observations are no longer graded and work scrutiny is more of a focus.

Do you really think you can hide a shit school with crap results behind two days of excellent supply teachers?

Do you really think you can hide a shit school with crap results behind two days of excellent supply teachers?

I totally agree.

Not all of them, but a lot of them happened in a primary school here last week.

A lot? What do you mean? Littlemissunshine only mentioned four!