First ISI inspection this week. What to expect

[Upstreamfish]

Inspection looming.

We think we’ll get the call on Monday.

I’ve not been through an ISI before.

I’m a class teacher and inherited lots of incoherent messages around marking, planning overviews, maths scheme and calculation policy. The grading/ assessment criteria descriptors do not match the grading system and are also incomplete.

I have asked for time to correct the above. Not given time.

Policies don’t match the current staff or procedures. Again, I highlighted these months ago and asked to speak to my line manager about it but my email was ignored.

Refused a leadership role because the above mess was going to be too time- consuming to sort out for the (minuscule amount of) money offered. Asked Head if he would be able to meet with me to discuss my concerns. Said email was ignored.

Safeguarding procedures not robust, fail safe or clear and DSL unapproachable bully.

Any experience of ISI?

What do they ask class teacher?

Only one when I worked for 2 terms in a private school. I was told categorically that no inspector would come into a coursework lesson, so we went ahead with our secret biscuit rota as normal. Bloody inspector came in and asked to see their work, accompanied by a tinkly laugh and "I'm not sure I'm meant to be looking at this class ha ha ha". Kids hid biscuits and I encouraged her to walk round & talk to them about what they were doing (composing in a y10 Music lesson at PCs). She stayed about 10 minutes then thanked me and cleared off. Kids were most offended on my behalf that she had come in - our biscuit rota remained undetected!

Should have said to the OP, your school sounds useless. Make sure you know how each lesson fits into a sequence and how you measure progress. Apart from that, good luck.

Thank you!
I’ve been making sure all of the planning is more coherent than my usual post-it note with learning objectives on and have bunged lots of differentiated resources in.
Ages ago we were told that the children will have to know about British Values so I’m hoping at least one of them can remember the activities we’ve done linked to these such a class votes- democracy, religious trip to synagogue/ mosques etc and individual liberty stuff talked about when learning about less democratic countries and their cultures. Eek!
Will report back on the other side!