Failing ofsted!

[ReallyMissingHer]

I love the way no-ones values ofsted inspection enough to have bothered to start a thread before this one

[Mid A 15]

I love the way no-ones values ofsted inspection enough to have bothered to start a thread before this one

Do I gather from this that CH has had a dodgy OFSTED?

[ReallyMissingHer]

yes it was judged "inadequate" and given "notice to improve"

on technicalities really

something about the paperwork for staff, adults living on site that are not staff and something to do with the mixing of pupils with the general public using the sports facilities. I think it has mostly already been sorted anyway.

It's seems odd that is fine for pupils to mix with the public off school grounds but not vice versa.

[Jo]

Well maybe I'm being picky but in some ways that's more worrying. I don't know much about Ofsted and obviously I don't know any more detail about the CH situation, but I have prepared for a number of inspections in my career.

In failing schools they clearly don't have the ability to meet some of the requirements. But at CH, surely they have people competent enough to read the requirements and ensure they are met - particularly "technicalities". If they aren't capable of that, then what else (exam syllabuses? other inspection criteria? applications for funding?) are they not reading and implementing properly? To those in the know it's clearly not an indictment of CH's academic standards. But it's not a very good reflection of the attention to detail of their admin and management.

[Mid A 15]

Could the "admin type failings" referred to be because of lack of continuity given the recent turnover in Clerks?

Three in three years or somrthing like that I believe.

[ReallyMissingHer]

I read the full report in detail but have forgotten most of it overnight. I think it should be available on line if you want to read it.

The paperwork bit for staff and non-staff living on site has already been sorted and I think change has been implemented to the way the public have access to the sports centre so that is being adhered to now as well.

Ofsted requirements keep changing too (I used to be on the pre-school committee) it's a nightmare, you get everything sorted and the goal posts change again.

I would be more concerned if CH catered for younger children but I don't think these are major issues at all. My daughter's last school failed because it was in debt!!! It was in debt becauses they intake had fallen from 90 pupils per year to less than 30 and the LEA pay a pittance per child and in anycase the school was already in the process of selling land to cover the debt (which had occurred due to a building ICT suite and new library).

[Barnes Mum]

yes it was judged "inadequate" and given "notice to improve."

Whoa, hold on a minute. There was actually only a tiny section of the inspection that needed improvement, which has immediately been dealt with. This included areas such as the mixing of pupils and public at the sports centre. The rest was really good. If you look in the ISI section of the report you will see comments under the sections such as 'Good' and 'Outstanding'. As the Headmaster pointed out in his accompanying letter both the Ofsted and ISI inspection teams highlighted much that was very good and outstanding at CH. Unfortunately because the areas that they found where we could improve were considered 'safeguarding' issues they had no choice but to rate it 'inadequate'. I assure you that the care of the children here couldn't be further from 'inadequate'!

[Jo]

I'm sure no-one here has concerns about standards but we're not the ones that need to be convinced. Unfortunately, like it or not, in these days of checklist assessments and league tables, some prospective parents are going to take "inadequate" at face value and not look any further.

That's why I think it was a silly oversight. Ofsteds and similar assessments might be a PITA but they are a game that needs to be gone along with because people who are looking at a variety of options use them as filtering criteria.

Unless, once corrected, the school can ask for an immediate reassessment of the problem areas, with a regrading to Good or Outstanding overall?

[Barnes Mum]

Unless, once corrected, the school can ask for an immediate reassessment of the problem areas, with a regrading to Good or Outstanding overall?

I think that is the plan.

[J.R.]

OFSTED = 'Jobs for the Boys'

[dinahcat]

Part of the problem with 'compliance ' with the law id due to the fact that the governing body is only two years old . They are accountable , not the head and there lies the problem. The governors have to keep up to date with the law, which changes every day , and advise the head of the school. I imagine they will have to appoint a compliance office who will ensure all is in order.

[J.R.]

I had to queue for ages in the post-office today whilst some secretary posted their small firms calenders all over the world.

I got talking to a charming and attractive woman behind me in the queue. It transpired she had taken early retirement when a deputy head of a secondary modern school.

I asked her if she missed it.............

"Hell No !" She replied, "In my day, WE ruled the school, not the Government and a good clip round the ear always worked wonders !"

I rest my case, Me Lud !

[englishangel]

Like Matrons in hospitals getting the cleaning done.

[J.R.]

Like Matrons in hospitals getting the cleaning done.

Reminds me of when I had my tonsils out, way back in 1954.

Matrons ward Rounds !!

I remember her striding into the ward, all in dark blue. Running her fingers over the window-sills, and yelling, "SISTER ?? Get your staff to clean this ward PROPERLY !!"

It scare th sh1t out of me, so God knows what it must have done for the staff !

Come back Hattie - All is forgiven.

[AKAP]

I had a quick look at the report in a quiet moment at CAB today. I chuckled at the one about the lack of window restrictors on the first floor of the sick bay (I think that's what it says).
I hope no one tells them that a group of boys in my time (probably still do) scaled all the large buildings at CH (Big School, Chapel etc) during the early hours of the morning. Ofsted would probably demand razor wire around the buildings to prevent such behaviour.