Vocal Voices

Possibly.

The news that over 100 schools previously marked as "outstanding" have been downgraded following reinspections will be a wake-up call for others. Now that 'teaching and learning' is a priority over a lot of the touchy-feely stuff we can expect more downgrades.

However it does beg the question as to how they were marked as outstanding by the previous regime. Of the 155 schools regraded 91 were good, 20 were told to improve and of that 20, two were inadequate.

Hopefully the new regime will be able to give the parents of school children a bit more confidence in that what they are being told about a school has an element of truth in it.

Workingman wrote:However it does beg the question as to how they were marked as outstanding by the previous regime.

Change the incentive from "Bonus for Outstanding" to "Bonus for Improvement required"????

That is so cynical..... but probably with a large dose of truth.

Workingman wrote:However it does beg the question as to how they were marked as outstanding by the previous regime.

Because Ofsted keep moving the goalposts.
Previously "Management" was felt to be very important by Ofsted; now "Teaching and Learning" are felt to be important. (In a school? No sh1t, Sherlock!).
Also, now "Safeguarding" is Very Important. Basically if the kids can get out of School, they aren't "safe". This is why most schools are now surrounded by high iron fences with the gates locked for most of the school day. This alone can make a school fail an Ofsted inspection.
Although "Teaching and Learning" is now supposedly very important, none of the teachers who were monitored in my wife's last Ofsted were monitored for a whole lesson by the Ofsted inspectors. So how they are coming to an informed judgement, I don't know.
Some teachers I know went to a meeting where an Ofsted inspector was holding forth. Her pearl of wisdom was "I will not accept that there are any bad children, only bad teachers".
Ofsted = Bad Joke.

cromwell wrote:Ofsted = Bad Joke.

The whole procedure is a bad joke. I have sat in many a staff meeting where the theme was an Ofsted inspection..... "We are about to be inspected, so listen up, here's the plan..............."

We lived right in the middle of a triangle of three secondary schools. Did we take any notice of their Ofsted reports? Did we hell! What we did, and I suspect many concerned parents do, is talk to other parents with older children in those schools. It was their feedback that drove our choice.

I am only hoping that by focussing on "teaching and learning" the reports will be a lot more accurate than before.

Its all part of the big push to make them all become academies