Terrible Ofsted - how to support?

[RishiRich]

My DD's school has just had a terrible Ofsted report and been put into special measures. It's come out of nowhere really and we (me and the parents I know) were thinking they'd get graded outstanding.

The staff have worked really hard to turn it around from a previous 'requires improvement' finding 5 years ago. New head, loads of investment in facilities, lots of reach-out stuff, great support through the pandemic. They must be so disappointed.

I've already emailed my support and CC'ed Ofsted, saying what is great about the head and the school. Is there anything else that would help? Chocolate, letter to the local paper (who love covering the local school Ofsted reports)? Anything else?

It's lovely that you think this way but the answer is there really isn't anything you can do to help.

I know I just feel awful for them and don't want them thinking all the parents feel the same way as Ofsted.

I assume the report is now published?
What has triggered the special measures judgement?

Yes it's published. They've been slated across the board: education, leadership, safeguarding, behaviour, development. It's really, really bad. As they were rated requires improvement last time they've had various monitoring visits in-between and those have all been great. Goodness knows what happened on the day of the actual inspection

Ofsted have raised the bar again. There subject "deep dives" are creating appalling levels of stress.

Having said there is nothing you can do, an email to the class teacher every once in while to say how glad you are that your child has them as a teacher will make them feel valued even when Ofsted don't.

Oops! Their not there.

One of the things they picked them up on was lack of extracurricular activities. I don't know if Ofsted have noticed, but schools in general had enough to do getting enough staff in to teach lessons last term, let alone run clubs. It all seems very unfair.

@RishiRich

One of the things they picked them up on was lack of extracurricular activities. I don't know if Ofsted have noticed, but schools in general had enough to do getting enough staff in to teach lessons last term, let alone run clubs. It all seems very unfair.

Bloody hell, that does seem really unfair. Given that extra curricular clubs are run on the goodwill of teachers, ie staff working for free, I don't really see how they can judge a school for the lack of them. I think it's lovely that you emailed the school. It sounds like they've been let down by whoever was doing the monitoring visits amongst other things.

At my school we all volunteer to run clubs. Which is good because if we didn't we'd be told by the head that we have to.

The Ofsted expectations have changed but the monitoring visits should have flagged this. Is the school an academy? There have been examples in the past of deliberately rating state schools low to force academisation, given that's the Government aim. No saying that's what's happened but to go from great reports and feedback at monitoring to special measures is suspicious.