Sixty-Eighth Republic - still under temporary guardianship…

[MrsHerculePoirot]

In the absence of staff and her fabulous thread titles and witty openers here is a 68th thread. The broom cupboard is overflowing so time for another Republic. Hopefully we hear from staff soon.

Stolen from previous threads…
'You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement for school staff to let off steam.

Baiters, haters, goaders, and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are NOT staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

Do not give the staffroom password to non-staff as it attracts the wrong sort of crowd.

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes, and the ability to sniff out where the booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.'

Thanks Herc - yes, I'm fine. Just got that post removed as it might have been a bit identifying. It's been a rocky first day back!

It certainly sounded tough. Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

Didn’t read it corner but get the gist it’s been a rough day. deserved!

And name you raise a good point that sometimes, giving teachers more autonomy in their job role makes more sense for longer serving teachers and often at the start of a career, many in fact would rather more specific directions.

This is where good management would allow for both. Sorry you too have been finding it tough. Chin up!

A late one for me with an opening evening just done. Got three next week to do (but will all finish early) as they are to allow external post-16s to view in smaller numbers due to Covid. Still, 3 opening evenings next week. Good grief!

That Ofsted letter is horrific. We are overdue and one of the few LA schools left in the area. It would certainly fit a narrative to fail us so we can be gobbled up and ‘saved’ by an academy chain who would swoop in to make things all things wonderful. We are dreading it.

Re: that Ofsted letter, yes I too have experienced Ofsted inspections where they have come with a pre-conceived judgement and then only interested in finding evidence to prove that judgement, with pupil voice and leading questions being prominent.

I also was open mouthed that the last time that school was inspected was 2007 (14 years with no inspection so that’s basically two full cohorts going all the way through with no Ofsted-teeny bit jealous, sorry!) and that the author was 6 years into teaching there and this was the first time- what an awful experience.

This is a failure of Ofsted not the school and shows Ofsted is not fit for purpose because it is not consistent and fair.

I also was open mouthed that the last time that school was inspected was 2007 (14 years with no inspection so that’s basically two full cohorts going all the way through with no Ofsted-teeny bit jealous, sorry!) and that the author was 6 years into teaching there and this was the first time- what an awful experience.

There is a school near me that wasn't done for 9 years. They were outstanding when the head arrived, she rode the 'outstanding' coat tails all the way to retirement without ever being inspected as a head. Shouty about how brilliant they were. Meh.

I'm 13 years in and have had 3 Ofsteds and a full local authority inspection. Think that's about right. We're due now-ish, or would have been without lockdowns, so I guess it depends whether they are concerned about us.

Different system but I think I've only had two in the schools I've worked in, that's 25 years+ ! The "we're due an inspection" period can last years and is one of the worst times to work in a school. Lots of extra and pointless work being done "just in case".

We’re incredibly overdue one and am very glad I am not a teacher…

I’ve been teaching 22 years and have been through 5. My first was an NQT where it was the full week. We were placed in special measures so following year and HMI. I’ve done countless mock-steds at my last school as when we turned to a MAT we did one every year.

I’ve just counted and I’ve been teaching 18 years and had 5. But then, I’ve never taught in an outstanding school (there aren’t many of them in Tower Hamlets!), so never had that luxury of being ‘left alone’ that Gove introduced.

My first one was when I was a trainee and it was the old 5 day one and even trainees had to be involved in that at the time-thankfully, nowadays, trainees can be hidden away!

I've done 5 in 11 years but all in the first 6 years of teaching so feel very out of practise.

They do come in with an attitude of seeing what they want to see to fit the pre determined grade.

They do come in with an attitude of seeing what they want to see to fit the pre determined grade.
That is my experience of Ofsted too.

I've been at the same school for 25 years and had 3 inspections (but missed one as I was on maternity leave). We are overdue as I think it has been 7 years since our last one.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59139389.amp

Has Robert Halfon ever campaigned for any safety measures in school??

I can see a future scenario where MPs and the rest of the country are being told to work from home, yet we will still have Ofsted in judging us as if it was normal!

Yeah, the grade determination is often made at the initial stage before they turn up, after reviewing published data, the website, etc. The visit is just about confirming and evidencing this which gives the whole process an inevitable and clear bias.

I've had an Ofsted inspector literally say that she could find no reason not to give our school Outstanding but she didn't want to do that for "another school in this area" so she was going to pull together a larger team for the next day and find a reason.

I've also heard directly from currently active inspectors that they are making snap judgements about the quality of the curriculum based on small question-based interactions. For example, they will ask the kids in Y3 to name the continents and oceans (something covered in Y2). If they can't do it there and then, this will be taken as a sign that the geography curriculum in school is not good enough.

Ofsted has become nothing more than a vehicle for bashing schools and for forcing academisation on schools that don't want nor require it.

TES article is a bit clearer:
www.tes.com/news/covid-triple-lock-proposed-stop-school-closures

JVT with BBC Live questions:

Posted at 8:46
Van-Tam: Masks in schools is difficult

"Why are schools not putting masks in place with cases rising in school aged children?" asks Traci.

Van-Tam says he can see masks "could be quite inhibitory to the kind of natural expressions of learning in children involving speech and facial expression".

"I think it's difficult for children in schools with face masks," he adds

As long as MPs are safely tucked up at home back doing Zoom meetings, that’s what’s important…

My friends school hadn't been observed since 2006. They had an inspection and felt the inspectord had decided their outcome before. They're upset as likely to lose their outstanding and feel they are being forced to become an academy. I think 15 years is too long between inspections tbh but feel so sorry for them as they have worked so hard.

I don't want schools to close again either, but I want the government to do something about stopping children being disadvantaged. They won't do that though.

My first two OFSTED were the full week jobs where you got observed several times. I think I actually preferred it- the inspectors actually got to see more of the real school and real kids and also looked at the library, learning resources, came to lunch clubs etc. Observed lots of times, great long feedback interviews.

Then I went through 5 of the 3 day jobs in RI schools. Observed each time, no feedback. Then twice in one day jobs. Once where I complained because I felt the lead inspector , who was a director of the local academy trust, was partisan. They subsequently failed the school and took it over and my complaint was dismissed. The whole ethos was to fail the school, which was under a new head and doing well. The head resigned and left the profession but it really wasn't her fault- it was a good school. I was furious and left rather than work under the trust which was and is dreadful- all fur coat and no knickers.

The last time I saw no one- it was data driven and as my year 6 data was hood it was all fine . We are due another and my subjects are due a deep dive.

It's all farcical now.

Also to add I was looking forward to feeling protected in school being post covid but the steroids it's left me on have reduced my immunity so a mere three days in I have a cold. Joy. I feel for those if you waiting for the covid sword to fall. Our staff are dropping daily.

We’re due an ofsted and that letter is terrifying. We’re a secondary school and I’ve not heard of any other local schools being seen.

Sorry you’re not feeling well, phlebas and not sure what happened corner, but hope you’re ok.

I’m starting to think that my immune system is totally covid proof. I’ve been in two meetings with staff who later tested positive (no masks and little ventilation) and been in close contact with others. I don’t know whether or not to feel concerned in case there’s a nastier variant I pick up later 🙄

We have two local ‘outstanding’ schools near us that haven’t been inspected since 2008/9. They do maintain their results, which is why they haven’t been re-inspected. They also refuse to take children with SEND which goes some way to explaining the results.

I’ve been through 4 inspections in my 15 years of teaching. Some have been better than others! Our last was a single day only but the inspector was actually very good, fair and listened to what we wanted/ were hoping to show her. Felt she wanted us to succeed whereas previously it’s always felt they were trying to catch you out.