Counting the Days

Bus duty on day one of the new Inspection regime and the pupils are chatting about how it’s been. “What’s all this OFSTED stuff about?” asks one. “Oh I can tell you,” says another who has clearly already been through the process; “It’s dead simple. If you see a bloke wearing a smart suit and carrying a clipboard sitting at the back of your class, you are going to get a bloody good lesson!”

Fifteen years after Ken Clarke set up the system, OFSTED is still the most powerful force in education. What else will bring 120 teachers into work, at least for two days, before 6.00 am? The displays, even with only three days notice made me think I had walked into the wrong school, while lesson plans and departmental SEFs were more detailed than a Victorian novel.

Whatever your role in education – teacher, manager or governor – if you know that OFSTED are going to measure it, you will make sure you do it. If you want evidence, just look at a sample of recent Section 5 reports.

The Government wants to encourage diversity so the specialisms in secondary schools get plenty of attention. They want the public to believe in the re-branded comprehensive so the OFSTED agenda is to comment on how much the specialism has done to raise standards, support the community … fill in your own blanks. Schools have had both safety and health scares recently, so plenty of references to diet, lifestyle and safety conscious staff and pupils go down well.

Racist incidents? Show me your log. Bullying in the playground? Give me the records. If the Government decided it wanted all schools to serve unsalted pistachio nuts on Parents’ Evenings, test basket weaving skills and dress lollypop ladies in union jackets, it would only have to make these things inspection tick boxes.

Because the Government wants to increase the numbers committing to Trust Status a new and unremarked criterion for high performing secondary schools has just been released. They will be expected to move to Foundation or Trust Status. Only a matter of time, then, before OFSTED is on to that one.

I experienced my first OFSTED – “a training” inspection in 1992 before the full scale assault the following year. I am now through number four (just). So what’s changed? Short notice – but that’s fine. I can still remember a ruined Christmas holiday for the Leadership Team who were sworn to secrecy. We broke the news to staff with a happy New Year greeting – and they still had four weeks’ notice.

There is now a pre-inspection briefing which has all the subtlety of a murder investigation. Hypotheses are laid out with the misdirected fervour that comes of an ill spent career salivating over data charts. As the number one crime suspects, the Leadership Team are wheeled in to disprove X, Y and Z.

Crime: “You wilfully, during the months of 2006-07 allowed attendance to drop at this comprehensive …. er Specialist Sports College.” Defence: “Did you know about the ‘flu epidemic that closed some local schools or the road works that meant some rural catchments were cut off? Actually, your honour, we think you have got the wrong bloke. Isn’t it the parents responsibility to get their offspring to school?”

It is easier to cheat now (if you dare) but not on the critical standards section because they have the data. The array of scores there left us feeling like European Song Contest entrants. The letter to the pupils is the most novel twist of the knife – effectively a school report for them on their teachers. “Look Mum – it says the Astronomy Department is underperforming. Teaching bedevilled by staff shortages. What does bedevilled mean?”

The reports may be formulaic and comment bank driven but I am sure, like medicine, they are good for us. Their all powerful force means that we will pay attention to their findings and sort it for next time. Only two years and 32 teaching weeks to go. Who said they don’t give us enough notice!

Ray Tarleton
Principal