New F*cking Ofsted Framework wording/ terminology

[PurpleAlert]

Got our report yesterday.

The actual report itself is ok- various bits to improve (which we were aware of and are already addressing)- won't take much to get back into the "good" judgement catagory (which is where we were a few years ago.)

Some of the teachers had a bit of an off day (some of the feedback from lessons was very surprising- some very good teachers came out with RI.)

I work with an amazingly dedicated team of teachers and TAs (think 12 hour working days) who give way over and above to their pupils both in and outside of the classroom. It's such a wonderful happy school- beautifully behaved, polite, caring pupils- pastoral care is amazing, loads of extra curricular opportunities etc.etc.

It knocks spots off the so called "Outstanding" primary school my DDs went to where the data was fab (more to do with the fact that we have a very good Kip Mcgrath centre than the teaching due to this being a grammar school area) but SN was crap, bullying not dealt with and the only clubs available had to be paid for.

Our data on the other hand ain't great... we have around 30% on SA and SA+ and another 10% who have statements and the general academic ability of the last few years has been poor. It's not in a great catchment.

The first part of our report claims:

"This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because..."

It.
Is
Not
Good.



The language is so obviously deliberately provocative-It serves two purposes- to destroy moral and panic parents.

I know the education system is not all it could be.
I know there are crap teachers in the profession.
But do they really think that destroying moral is the best way to motivate?

Fucking Gove

[adeucalione]

I actually think 'it is not good because' is better, in plain English terms, than the previous 'this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform'.

And neither wording softens the blow for teachers or parents really, does it?

Does your data matter, given that they will be comparing you with schools of a similar demographic?

If several of the teachers couldn't manage even a satisfactory lesson with Ofsted watching, are you certain that they usually provide 'very good' lessons (not doubting that they are dedicated)?

I'm not unsympathetic btw - having been through a fair few Ofsted inspections myself.

[jellysmum77]

I have little faith in ofsted inspectors after teaching for 12 years. And a whole lot less in Gove. One inspector told my husband that she couldn't say whether his lesson had been outstanding as her own subject knowledge in that area was 'not good enough' to know whether it was outstanding or not!

[PurpleAlert]

An RI lesson observation is satisfactory.

[PurpleAlert]

Requires improvement is not special measures.

There are four catagories:
1-Outstanding
2-Good
3-Requires improvment(the old satisfactory)
4- Inadequate (put into special measures.)

[niminypiminy]

As far as I know they no longer compare your data with schools with a similar demographic. They just look at how you perform in line with average attainment/floor. Data is supremely important -- if your data isn't in the right place, then even if you are doing wonderful things, you will be judged 'requiring improvement' or 'inadequate'. And it is very important to recognise that the value-added measure, and the progress children make play no part in the new framework. They are simply interested in raw attainment data.

I agree the new wording is very harsh, and designed (I think) to make people think the school is worse than it is. As I have said elsewhere, the new Ofsted framework cannot be separated from the academisation agenda. The framework is covertly designed to provide opportunities for DfE academies brokers to target schools that are 'failing' and thus should be turned into sponsored academies.

[PurpleAlert]

God we are all doomed...

[jellysmum77]

I find the whole way the government talks about education now is so negative and gives the impression that everyone is failing. I find it so sad. I worked in a school in a very deprived area and the staff did wonderful things for the children who made amazing progress. However, as they came from such low starting points in the first place, many still did not reach the 'required standard' and so it was seen as failure. We should have been making these children feel proud of what they had achieved rather than making them out to be failures. It's part of why I have walked away from teaching for now.

[PurpleAlert]

That's sad Jelly.
I have heard that the average for leaving the teaching profession is now after only four years...

How on earth are we going to recruit and keep good quality teachers when they are up against this?

My DD would make a fab teacher- she's great with kids, good at explaining things, smart, creative funny... She did some work experience in a school and they said she was a total natural.

She isn't sure what she wants to do but one thing she is sure- she does not under any circumstances want to be a teacher- even with the advantages of the school holidays. Spent too long being the DD of a teacher to know it's not what she wants...

[Elibean]

I have no faith whatsoever in Gove, to put it mildly.

But we've just had an Ofsted, and I have to admit the inspectors were both human and fair. I feel as if they saw our school very clearly, and were actually on our side And I wasn't expecting that.

That said, the language of Ofsted, the boxes they have to tick, the codes they have to use, are not at all what I would choose. They could say 'It has not been graded as 'Good' because...' rather than 'It is not good because...'. ie they could be more accurate as well as more supportive.

[niminypiminy]

It's good to hear there are human and fair Ofsted inspectors. But I certainly can't say that about the team who came to our school. It felt as if they'd written the report before they got out of their cars.

That's not to say there aren't things that the school can improve on (how could it be otherwise?), and some of the things they picked up have given us a bit of a kick up the backside.

But they were not on our side, no way. They looked for evidence of the judgement they wanted to make, and they ignored anything that might have got in the way.

[jellysmum77]

Yes I had colleagues who were NQT's talking about how they were going to get out of the job.
I loved working in a school and teaching but not what the job has become.

[prettybird]

Remember: Gove didn't see anything wrong in saying to a Parliamentary Select Committee that he wanted all schools to be above average.

He's a twat.

[Badvoc]

As a parent I can assure you I think ofsted is a crock of shit.
So much so I moved my son from a - supposedly - outstanding school to a satisfactory one.
He is happy, I am happy and and he is finally progressing.

[PurpleAlert]

I was talking to one of my parents last week and she said much the same thing- most of our parents would recommend the school to others and when the inspector went to the school gate to speak to them during the inspection they were overwhelmingly positive about the school.

I am horrified at the hidden agenda to downgrade schools in order to force them to become academies- was looking at another ofsted related thread yesterday where this was discussed.

[Badvoc]

This has happened to another school in the village purple.
The HT is against academies and - what do you know - her school is now satisfactory.
It's so bloody transparent.

[PurpleAlert]

No such thing as satisfactory now- you are deemed to be "not good"

[Badvoc]

Give wants our ed system to be like Japan doesn't he?
I will HE my dc before I see them in that sort of environment.

[KingscoteStaff]

If several of the teachers couldn't manage even a satisfactory lesson with Ofsted watching, are you certain that they usually provide 'very good' lessons (not doubting that they are dedicated)?

Those lessons used to be called satisfactory - they're now called Requires Improvement.

[cory]

"Gove didn't see anything wrong in saying to a Parliamentary Select Committee that he wanted all schools to be above average."

Surely his maths teacher should be failing her Ofsted inspection?

[Feenie]

"1 in 5 children leave primary school without reaching national average."


Looks like Michael Wilshaw can't do Maths either.