Taken from Mr P page. Ofsted are vile:
I had to share this email I received from a teacher who had to endure a recent Ofsted inspection. This is not the first message I’ve received that paints a rather scary picture of the inspection process since starting back this year. It does not make for pretty reading and I would be interested to hear whether this resonates with others who have been through the same experience, if so, we really need to do something:
“Recently, the primary school in which I work was subject to an Ofsted inspection. Of course, when the call arrives, nerves do set in however no one was prepared for the onslaught that was to follow. As I am sure you have read, Dame Alison Peacock has described Ofsted as imposing “a reign of terror”. I do not think there are any better words to use. Over two days I saw hard-working, dedicated colleagues completely broken by the process. Oftsed came into our school to knock us down; to simply fail us.
To give you some background, my school was deemed to be ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted back in 2007. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to maintain the highest of standards however the two inspectors came with the objective to prove otherwise. This may sound like a case of sour grapes however I can assure you that the evidence is stacked against them which is why our appeal is being backed by our governors, the LA and the LDBS. It is not only that we so strongly disagree with their belief that we ‘Require Improvement’ but it is an outrage that this can be the label given to our school.
In regards to evidence, something that is so sought after in the world of education, they never came to observe me teach once. I am a Year 6 class teacher, in a one form entry school, and they did not wish to see me teach any core or foundation subjects. As far as I am aware, they looked at none of my planning and did not appear to look through any of the students’ exercise books. Quite staggering seeing as they are making judgements about the way the curriculum is being delivered. For example, one of the ‘findings’ of their inspection was that misconceptions were not being picked up in maths lessons. It might help to look at the planning for the next lesson where these misunderstandings are picked up on, or watch the input at the start of the next lesson when these issues are tackled, or even look inside the pupils’ books to see the marking asking them to correct their mistakes. They did not care. They needed to only witness something the one time, which they perceived to be inadequate, and that would be case closed.
One of the most frustrating things to come out of the inspection was the way they removed children from classes and interrogated them. They had a script they followed and in an intense environment for the children they asked leading questions to get the answers they so desperately craved. For example, they asked pupils from Year 6 whether reading was a subject taught daily. In a panic, the response they got was ‘no’. Case shut. However, if they had bothered to investigate further, the children were confused by what was meant and believed they were being asked how often they do written work in a reading lesson - something that takes place only once or twice a week. Reading, however, happens every day. It is incomprehensible that Ofsted take this approach to conclude what is taking place within a school. For sure, a pupil’s voice is extremely important, we actively encourage our pupils to have a voice, however surely investigate further if they give a concerning answer. I once asked a pupil what they did in a maths lesson the previous week, they told me that they were adding together two-digit numbers. When I looked inside their book, they had been adding together seven-digit numbers. It can not be that inspections are conducted this way.
When speaking to the other teachers and members of the staff, the one thing that upset us all the most was the complete disregard for the past two years. Even though Ofsted have promised to take into account the impact of the pandemic, the lead inspector - Noeman Anwar - said that it should not take longer than two weeks to be back to normal. His words are beyond insulting. Schools have been left to fend for themselves these last few years, finding and becoming experts in a completely new way to teach. Personally, during one of the lockdowns, I was working eighteen hour days to ensure that every child in my class could access the curriculum. I sent cards to every member of my class, responded to calls for help left on Google Classroom, gave my own laptop to a child without one, wrote a poem to lift spirits the day my class was sent home to isolate for ten days - I literally gave every waking hour to ensure that the children in my care were not only being educated but were being looked after. That their wellbeing was number one priority. I remember at the end of the summer term sleeping at school with another teacher to ensure that the Year 6 class got their experience of a residential trip against all the odds. It is of no surprise that Ofsted do not care when Amanda Spielman says that schools have focussed on food parcels more than they have on learning.
It is a huge concern, which I know has been raised by hundreds of headteachers, that Oftsed are treating these times as normal. It should not be just about the two days that they were in our school. They did not ask to see the book of poems, inspired by Maya Angelou, that we had recently published, or watch the climate change video we had put on the WWF website, or the photos of bridges they made alongside one another in DT as part of our well-being programme on their return to school. They never once seemed interested in the outstanding summer assessment results of our previous Year 6 class – every one of them achieving expected standard, if not working at greater depth. The Year 6 classroom is covered from floor to ceiling in learning from the first eight weeks of this term, with one display showing a poem written by a past pupil about climate change, a poem that won her a Young Writers award. We pride ourselves on making sure that our students leave us as young adults; as model citizens. I remember the head of year 7 at a local secondary school visiting us in the summer and saying how the children that make the transition to their school from ours always make a flying start. This is what we strive for.
The Ofsted framework contradicts their promise to reduce school workload. Class teachers in primary schools, who are also subject leaders, are grilled in deep dives about their subjects. Subjects that we are supposed to know the precise answer about that Oftsed’s script requests, however have no additional time to carry out these duties. That being said, teachers always go above and beyond, and will always ensure they carry out their job to the highest of standards even if that means significant sacrifices to their personal life. I am the PE lead at our school, and in our recent inspection was able to successfully explain what the intent of PE is across the school, how we implement it and what the impact of it is. All of which was not only explained but evidence provided in the form of a subject folder. This is a huge amount of work to undertake.
To conclude, I feel we are at a real tipping point and that teachers are pulling together to fight for change. Ofsted must be replaced. Ofsted is the reason that there are more qualified teachers out of teaching than in it. Being a union rep and a member of different groups for educators on various social media platforms, I know that teachers are crying out for a change. Ofsted is a toxic brand which is driving teachers out of the profession. Teachers who came into the profession to make a difference to young people’s lives yet leave it because they simply can not cope with Ofsted’s process of accountability. The morning after Ofsted left our school, I saw colleagues with literally hundreds of years of experience between them completely broken. How dare these incredible, dedicated, caring people get so mentally harmed by their own government - the same government supposedly driving teacher recruitment. My advice, stop driving teachers out.
From our school’s point of view, we will fight the outcome of the recent inspection as they have not fairly nor correctly evaluated our school. They have not understood. So commonly the theme around teaching. I am not filled with hope that our appeal will be successful given that no school has successfully challenged an Ofsted inspection since 2014-15. Another reason why the system is broken and can not be trusted. There of course needs to be accountability in the education system but not an approach that brings this level of stress and fear. It must be an approach which treats teachers as humans and not robots.
I will continue in education for the rest of my career, I am only six years in and love teaching. I will not be bullied by Ofsted and made to feel as though I am inadequate. I will also campaign and fight for change. I hope that you can play a significant role in changing the system and make teaching the incredible job that it should be.”