Ofsted And Schools

Discussion in 'Politics 2.0' started by UEA_Hornet, Mar 21, 2023.

  1. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I've put this in politics not because it directly is, but because I suspect any debate is only one step removed from drifting into the culture and resourcing issues schools face owing to the ever changing demands of government ministers.

    But anyway, I'd be keen to hear from teachers or those on here who work in schools quite what the current fuss about Ofsted is all about. I'm happy to be educated!

    There's obviously the sad story of the headteacher who committed suicide faced with a critical Ofsted report dominating the news now, but I'm struggling to believe that's the only reason. Or rather, it may have been the reason but it seems to say more to me about the lack of support this poor lady had around her than Ofsted itself, given a supportive governing body / academy trust etc probably wouldn't be too fussed if the overall trends were good.

    I also can't figure out quite what the line from teaching unions is - either Ofsted inspections are a facile, skin-deep snapshot of limited worth or they're so important it's understandable professionals get stressed out about them. Which is it?

    Either way I don't think refusals to engage with Ofsted, even going as far as this one school today saying it won't permit inspectors to enter, is the right approach at all.
     
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  2. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Why? Seems pretty obvious to me that that is what it is about.
     
  3. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    The unions appear to have fundamental concerns with Ofsted that can’t simply be addressed by it improving. These are,

    Its flawed methodology.
    Apparent political bias, political appointments, political influence in inspections.
    That it constrains teachers into a joyless and narrow approach.
    There is no functioning complaints process against it.
    It doesn’t explore staff concerns.

    In the case of the teacher who died (which I agree must be a more complex matter), there are significant concerns about how arbitrary and damning its decisions were.

    I’ve seen union concerns in health and care about failing regulators, but rarely is the view expressed that the regulator needs to be axed. Feelings are very strong indeed.

    https://neu.org.uk/replace-ofsted
     
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  4. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    Also, the primary schools were 'hit' badly by austerity, most notably the first tranche of the 'cuts'. I know there were massive rounds of resignations and 'retirements' from school heads when they first landed in 2017 . Anecdotally, I'm told that this was the start when the new wave of 'heads' were more focussed on balancing the books rather than teaching from books...
     
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  5. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I'd sort of hoped my next sentence addressed that. Simply a point that suicide is rarely as simply explained by one cause. I suppose I find it slightly distasteful it's being portrayed that way, though I accept that's through the lens of the media, Twitter and a grieving family, none of which are renowned for dispassionate analysis.
     
  6. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Exactly.
     
  7. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    I think we have to be pretty cynical about the motives of those who are subject of scrutiny championing the idea that the scrutineers should be abolished or significantly neutered. The bit teaching leaders won't be able to square away is that parents want some kind of objective analysis of how their local schools are doing and it necessarily needs to be easy to read, accessible etc so the general public can understand it.

    I also suspect part of the problem is the ridiculous decision to exempt the Outstanding schools from inspections for over a decade. That stored up a whole world of hurt - our local secondary went from that to 'requires improvement' recently, much to the consternation of the local worthies. They tried all the appeals, threats of legal actions etc but ultimately the report was made public. When you read it, it's clear the reasons are relatively narrow but I assume the weighting of different things in the framework spits out the overall 'score'.
     
  8. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    Also these cuts corresponded with a 'blip' in the birth rate and much more nuanced diagnoses of leaning disabilities (LD's) with the introduction/adoption of the EHCP. More kids were loosing the stigma of being 'thick' replaced with statutory and targetted support they need but, of course, with no increase in the financial resources this support actually needs. Hertfordshire has 'solved' this issue by limiting access to obtaining an EHCP through the 'system'...
     
  9. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    The unions are not calling for there to be no objective analysis to be available to parents though. They are asking for that analysis to be objective.

    Ofsted appears to be another victim of the Tory attempt to politicise all public institutions to fight its cultural wars for it.
     
  10. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    Education is so important. Vital for the well being of society and it's functioning.

    Yet teachers are paid a pittance. You want the best in teaching pay the required wages. Instead of the cheapening of the education system by lowering standards and the ever increasing gulf between private and state schools. Bridge that gap with the requisite funding. Make sure all schools are decent places to study in terms of their physical fabric. Make sure all children have access to high quality education from an early age not just a few. That children are adequately fed. Get rid of tax breaks for the private schools. Get Grammar schools back to what they were which were vehicles to promote social mobility compared to what they are now such as the Watford Grammar Schools. Bring all schools up to the standard of these.

    And support teachers. Listen to their concerns. Make sure there is discipline in the classroom. But at the same time make education rigorous. Successive governments are only cheating the nation, pupils, teachers and parents by the cheapened standards. We're slipping down the table globally and certainly do not provide enough scientists, engineers etc,etc.
     
  11. Since63

    Since63 Squad Player

    Cos they can't afford the books from which to teach?
     
  12. Since63

    Since63 Squad Player

    My d-in-law is a primary school teacher of 25 years standing and some of her anecdotes about the attitude & apparent (lack of) ability of many Ofsted inspectors leads me to suspect that successive inspections are frequently driven by very varied motives. A school may have ticked enough of the correct boxes to be deemed 'good' at one inspection, whilst at the subsequent inspection it discovers that the 'important' boxes have changed so that what the teachers view as an identical performance level sees a downgrading to 'requires improvement' or worse.
    Attempts to elicit the detailed reasoning behind the changed assessment are often met with responses that are opaque at best.
     
  13. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    In this particular case the OFSTED inspection noted there safeguarding issues. Any safeguarding issues will automatically lead to a judgement of Inadequate. Even if the previous rating was Outstanding. From memory of reading the story, (1) safeguarding issue related to recruitment policy, (2) was not all staff seemed conversant with the schools safeguarding policies and practical implementation of those policies. The (3) was rather unusual. The two days of the inspection were very poor weather and the children were indoors at play time. The inspectors witnessed a sexualised dance by a pupil in front of other pupils and observed that the staff did not adequately respond to the child’s behaviour.

    As safeguarding of pupils is a basic management responsibility, the judgement would have been a devastating judgement on the schools senior management.
     

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