Ofsted is to urge schools to “pause” inspections that appear to be damaging the mental health of their staff, as part of its formal response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
One mentally-unstable woman kills herself over a trivial matter, and suddenly the whole world stands still?
But Perry’s family and school leaders said they were disappointed that neither the Department for Education’s nor Ofsted’s responses addressed the use of single-phrase judgments such as “inadequate” to grade schools, which they said was an impediment to real reform.
You can't appease these people, and you shouldn't even try...
“As the new chief inspector, I am determined to do everything in my power to prevent such tragedies in the futures,” said Oliver, who took over as head of Ofsted in the new year. He added: “We must carry out our role in a way that is sensitive to the pressures faced by leaders and staff, without losing our focus on children and learners.”
You've made yourself a hostage to fortune, because you can now be delayed by claims that you cannot disprove, because even asking for medical evidence of any 'stress' will be seen as exacerbating it.
Both the National Association of Head Teachers and the Association of School and College Leaders said Ofsted’s proposals were positive steps but did not fully address their concerns.
“This must be the beginning of a process for Ofsted and the government to improve the way in which schools and colleges are inspected – one that makes the system fairer, less punitive and more supportive,” said Geoff Barton, ASCL’s general secretary.
In any grading system, someone has to come last. I suppose it was inevitable the 'all must have prizes!' ethos would be used for the teachers as well as the pupils.
8 comments:
It sounds as if that grading is being very sensitive because in reality it should have been 'damn useless' if the inspectors were being truthful. All this is showing the truth in the statement 'those that can do and those that can't teach'.
In almost any profession, the senior managers face forms of 'audit', whether financial, project or performance etc. It goes with the territory, the position, the salary and the pension.
If you're not up to handling and responding to such scrutiny, then you're not up to the job.
Given the low quality of most schools' current output, maybe OFSTED should be tougher on the management snowflakes, not softer.
Damn right
Will
“This must be the beginning of a process for Ofsted and the government to improve the way in which schools and colleges are inspected"
It still needs improvement after HOW many years?
As a local head teacher was heard to comment " Ofsted? Just a bunch of failed teachers."
Senora O'Blene used to have serious concerns, sleepless nights and a general malaise of confidence when her private school was due to be investigated.
You could be sure that the ofsted bunch would try and hammer down on such places, and the people calling round just made it obvious that her school was going to be trashed whether it was good or not.
Basically, the teachers want to mark their own homework.
I'm sure Sir Kneely McKneelface will be cool with that, so if they can just hang on a few more months...
Want to know why there are so many "snowflakes" in society now? Because people like this are running our schools (and almost everything else too).
Call me callous if you wish but ... I worry, and lose sleep (and once had an ulcer) about assessments and deadlines (and a list of things it would take a week to type and take up most of this blog - I'm a perfectionist and slightly OCD) but... if you're so delicate you don't just worry, but panic, and then kill yourself for a (paper exercise with no real consequences other than a box ticked called) "failure" then ... you're too delicate, sensitive, narcissistic (and stupid) a person to survive.
Whilst I (vaguely) sympathise with family and friends (people I doubt 'she' even considered in her narcissism), my only concern is .... what did this woman do to all the children in her 'power' before she checked out? I guarantee it wont have been to 'their' benefit. I'd say it was also probably better for them, except, as we all know, she'll be replaced by someone else exactly like her.
"It sounds as if that grading is being very sensitive because in reality it should have been 'damn useless' if the inspectors were being truthful."
Quite!
"In almost any profession, the senior managers face forms of 'audit', whether financial, project or performance etc. It goes with the territory, the position, the salary and the pension.
If you're not up to handling and responding to such scrutiny, then you're not up to the job."
I wonder if she had other pressures, and this was merely the final straw. It seems an absurd thing to kill yourself over, if not.
"It still needs improvement after HOW many years?"
Spot on!
"...the people calling round just made it obvious that her school was going to be trashed whether it was good or not."
Because the private status was all that they cared about, not the quality of the teaching, which is what they are PAID to care about.
"Basically, the teachers want to mark their own homework."
Indeed!
"Want to know why there are so many "snowflakes" in society now? Because people like this are running our schools (and almost everything else too)."
I have no doubt.
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