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Original poster

Surprise Ofsted - Tories

73 replies

Blossie0 · 29/11/2019 07:53

Will any teachers vote Conservative on the back of the comments that Tories will introduce surprise inspections in a shake up to Ofsted?

They are justifying changes by saying standards in education need to improve.

It seems that those making changes to the education system have never stepped foot in a school and have no real idea of the pressures on teachers.

OP posts:
fedup21 · 30/11/2019 08:22

but I heard on the news that part of the agenda for the extra day would be to focus on extra-curricular activities

Oh, brilliant-that will really help with staff wellbeing.

noblegiraffe · 30/11/2019 11:16

The Tories weren’t actually doing that badly on education policy until this. They should have kept their mouths shut.

Piggywaspushed · 30/11/2019 11:18

Policy, but not practice. They missed their recruitment targets again this year.

noblegiraffe · 30/11/2019 11:40

Oh yes, I mean their record on education is absolutely terrible, I meant in the manifesto.

theluckiest · 30/11/2019 12:42

Well, considering that Ofsted have explicitly mentioned 'staff wellbeing' as a key area during an inspection, this extra pressure will do a damn good job of making staff wellbeing as meaningless and laughable as I always thought it was.

What a pile of shite.

theluckiest · 30/11/2019 12:44

It's as if the Tories got together and thought 'Ooh, how can we REALLY piss off the education sector even more? Bingo!!'

Which they probably did. Grin

fedup21 · 30/11/2019 13:07

I feel so depressed. We’re going to end up with another 5 years of this crap, aren’t we?

More Boris, more money for Ofsted, longer inspections, more focus on extra curricular activities presumably run in teachers’ free time, more pressure and presumably more use of unqualified teachers when the rest of us leave.

Let alone Brexit, the NHS and more Michael Gove, Priti Patel and JR Mogg to look forward to.

ineedaholidaynow · 30/11/2019 15:15

They have recently changed the Ofsted framework, why don't they wait until they see if that works before they go changing things again.

LolaSmiles · 30/11/2019 15:18

One set of changes at a time... Surely not. What an unreasonable request Grin

It will be most interesting to see the impact of the new framework.

cdtaylornats · 01/12/2019 08:14

Why are teachers the only people who need time to prepare for an audit?

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 08:16

Because it's not an audit??

And I don't think all audits are no notice anyway.

LolaSmiles · 01/12/2019 08:23

Why are teachers the only people who need time to prepare for an audit?
It's not an audit.

If Ofsted want the governors to be involved then they have to accept governors have other jobs and responsibilities so can't drop everything at 8am when the call is given.

Personally, I like the half day notice and would equally be happy with same day inspection if the call was first thing, arrive after lunch AND Ofsted made changes to expectations/plan for the same day element to be reasonable in the time frame. I'm also in favour of the inspection period being a bit longer so they can properly engage with a school instead of doing what they often do which is look at data and then look for a picture that suits the narrative they've created.

A lot of what schools already do is about having paper in files just in case Ofsted call (some of which has nothing to do with raising standards in education).

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 08:30

A lot of schools report workload,especially for middle leaders , has increased this year to 'prepare' for deep dive inspections. I can only begin to imagine how much constant running around there will being case Ofsted call with no notice.

This is obviously going to impact on the quality of education : that is time in which those middle leaders could be focusing on other things. Our meetings this year have been taken up filling in google doc after google doc.

Having young people in a building who actually need, y'know, teaching, makes no notice inspections very complicated. It will actually result in lots of teachers being taken off timetable at very very short notice. That's not a good thing.

LolaSmiles · 01/12/2019 08:36

I agree piggy
I think that's why there needs to be a bigger reform of how Ofsted do things. Timing is just a small part of it.

For example, same day inspections with morning notice for a lunch arrival could work fine if the first part of the afternoon was a meeting with the head, a walk around the school, quick learning visits to get an overview of what the school looks and feels like on a given day.

But it doesn't work if what Ofsted want is to turn up at 9am, expect middle and senior leaders to cover their classes last minute to sit and go through last year's data and their curriculum plan and quality assurance folders before they even get to lessons.

Flurgle · 01/12/2019 08:45

What Lolasmiles said.
They can’t just rock up at 8.30, say “we’re doing a reading deep dive” and expect the English lead to drop their class to be interviewed. Straight away they wouldn’t be seeing an everyday scenario.
I really hate the Tories at this point.

takeittogo · 01/12/2019 08:49

Seriously Nyon, raping? Pillaging?

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 09:08

Just imagine how many other things that £10m could pay for.

LolaSmiles · 01/12/2019 09:12

You're telling me!

Let's be honest the only reason he's made this announcement is because other parties are talking about reforming Ofsted and inspections so he wants to try to sound tough on standards because it will appeal to the core Tory vote who think today's youth have everything on a plate and public sector workers such as doctors and teachers and nurses have an easy life and don't know what hard work is.

noblegiraffe · 01/12/2019 09:12

There’s raw sewage leaking into her classroom, takeit and it’s her choice of language you take issue with?

takeittogo · 01/12/2019 09:14

Yes, giraffe. Raw sewage leaking into a classroom is disgusting, unhygienic and shouldn’t be happening. It needs sorting. This can be said without using the metaphor raping. Because as disgusting as that is, it isn’t grabbing you by the neck, dragging you around, forcing you on the ground and violating you. OK? So too fucking right I’ll take issue with it.

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 09:15

I have rats in my cupboard... the solution is that I am no longer allowed to store anything in it.

Be fun if a rat ran over an inspector's lap!

takeittogo · 01/12/2019 09:17

That’s a serious hygiene issue and the school should contact pest control as a matter of urgency. I’m surprised they haven’t. Pest control for rats are free in some areas.

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 09:17

It's not a great choice of language but was said ages ago. It's a metaphor for invading Vikings and I have heard it used by politicians many a time.

Report the post rather than start a row about it.

Your own definition of rape is graphic and unnecessary, I think.

Piggywaspushed · 01/12/2019 09:18

We have rats everywhere in our school. It's not free to call pest control out.

You clearly don't know anything at all about the state many school buildings (and many public buildings) are in.

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