I concluded a post on improving as a teacher almost a year ago by using a quotation I mistakenly attributed to Aristotle:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Messages from two amazing colleagues reminded me of this as the inspection ended:
Deputy John’s account of an Ofsted visit – eerily familiar in some aspects, described the next day thus: “A few hangovers, and a lot of video/ worksheet lessons.” Only two days before half term, perhaps one might even expect that in a few classrooms even without an Ofsted visit?
I had Period 1 free and knew it would be good for me to go and pop into some colleagues’ lessons & remind myself of the school’s strengths. I saw Year 8 students pursuing a project they’d conceived: teaching students at their former primary schools good grammar; they were drafting letters to the schools – very carefully! In a Year 7 English essays, students were carefully studying feedback; one described to me how she was improving her paragraph. Next door, a student broke from writing up his maths investigation to explain patiently the rule he had proved about consecutive numbers.
It was soon my turn. Habits are powerful – while part of me wanted to switch off, relax, take it easy, I’ve spent too much time practising the the routines with which I start lessons to drop them, no matter how exhausted I may be. Before I knew it, I was being interrogated on the relationship between Babylonian conceptions of time and ‘reality’ – and things were back to normal. Soon afterwards, students were involved in debating which Greek mathematician was greatest – of which the following is a short extract (the passion and evidence at work grant licence to exceed my preferred volume for classroom discussion).
(You may (or may not) be able to discern mention of: Pythagoras, Thales, Hypatia, Babylonian mathematicians; consideration of how legitimate it is for Pythagoras to take credit for what he learned from the Babylonians and dispute as to whether it is more significant to initiate an idea or to complete it. All in 45 seconds).
The highlight of the day, however, was the Valentine’s cards we found arrayed mid-way through the day.
But this is in the short term. Over half-term as I drafted these blogs, I also tried to write up how I felt about the inspection and where it takes me, and us:
How can I respond to being inspected?
Blogging helps me teach better. My colleagues, in school and online, help me teach better. My students help me teach better. And Ofsted: I am no better and no worse from their visit, (even if it has led me to write a series of negative posts – something I’d eschewed previously). I don’t think inspectors are in a position to judge me accurately; I don’t believe their judgment changes who I am as a teacher.
I had been trying to move on from seeing Ofsted grades as ways to evaluate ourselves our work over the last year and a half. In rewriting the head of history specification, I removed the word ‘outstanding’ from every bullet point. I had no wish to work with someone who viewed themselves in narrow terms as ‘outstanding;’ I wanted to work with someone great, who had their own ideas and principles as to what greatness was (found someone brilliant, too). I’ve been brazenly abusing my responsibility for CPD to encourage my colleagues to move away from thinking about Ofsted criteria to judge success in teaching. In the run up to the inspection, I had advocated aiding to be graded ‘good’ and be proud of work, rather than gaining an ‘outstanding’ at the cost of any of our principles.
I don’t believe that it’s right for a school to rely on external organisations to validate its existence. I’m not arguing that there shouldn’t be some form of external assessment of schools’ competence (although I do think the form and process needs radical change). But being graded outstanding does not change what a school is doing. Why do we plaster quotations from Ofsted reports outside schools, when we could promote examples of our students’ work? Or parents’ and students’ opinions? Or teachers’ self-evaluations?
The way we have been judged will, presumably, affect parents’ choices, teachers’ beliefs and ultimately our teaching. But I hope that the impact on all three is minimal.
I have no wish to work in an outstanding school. I would like to work in a great school – a distinction John Tomsett has made, most articulately, here. I do not believe schools pursuing outstanding judgments for their own sake are doing their students or teachers any favours.
A colleague told me on Day 3 how proud she was of what we’re doing at the school. I share that pride. Ofsted are welcome to make what they will of the greatness we are working towards. I hope that the next inspection better recognises what we are doing at the school. While we need to survive their judgment, our students, our community and we ourselves are the real arbiters of our success.
The inspection write up
Part I introduced the inspection, offered a metaphor I’ve found helpful in describing what happened, explained my rationale for writing about it and provided a disclaimer that this was just a personal blog.
Part II discusses my experience of inspection as a teacher and middle leader
Part III considers the accuracy of the report for the school more broadly.
Part IV raises five questions which inspection has left me with.
I will publish one more post on the Ofsted inspection and its aftermath next week where, emulating Laura McInerney, I consider what I’ve learned from writing about Ofsted.
The Ofsted report can be found here. The school’s response is here.
My colleague Will Lau has written a thorough account of his take on the inspection judgments.
For another source on the school, you could consider the school’s Parent View (one highlight is that, as of today, 97% of parents would recommend the school to another parent).
It may also be of interest to read the thoughts of some previous visitors to the school, Laura McInerney in the Guardian, Bagehot in the Economist and Roger Scruton in The Spectator.
I’ve really enjoyed reading these blogposts Harry. As ever your honesty combined with detail, thought, and care is penetrating, and I’ve learned a lot. But there’s one point you’ve re-iterated a few times, about Ofsted not helping your teaching, and it jarred a little. Because…as hard as this is to hear given its far-reaching consequences, Ofsted isn’t really about you or even about your school. It’s not supposed to be. It’s about the students and the parents and the government and the taxpayers. It’s about giving independent information to the people who hand over their salaries and children, without question, and who need to know that what they’re paying for and that the place they are sending their child to is acceptable. And so, while the inspection is OF you, the grade is not really FOR you.
Of course, we might usefully debate if Ofsted is giving those stakeholders what they need (i.e. accurate information). There’s good evidence to suggest they might not be. But if they’re not, then they need help to get on track – not a wholesale dismissal. Because as someone who went to a school that was struggling, we prayed for Ofsted – for the pair of eyes that might get through the wool that was being pulled over the eyes of others. Our parents weren’t going to complain if the school wasn’t doing things right, because they didn’t know what right or wrong meant in that context. They needed watchdogs and Ofsted were it. *That’s* why Ofsted’s comments are emblazoned on posters and brochures, it’s a way schools can demonstrate a parent made (or is making) a good choice for their child. And how can a government know if it is spending taxpayer’s money wisely, unless it visits? Or do you really think that can only be judged on final results? That would seem a shame to me.
Again, I get that all does not seem well or consistent in the Ofsted camp and things appear to be changing, if slowly, and probably need to move quicker. My love of Policy Exchange’s Ofsted report has been much-broadcast and the sooner they move to bring those changes in the better. But unless we think parents would be better off with no independent information about schools (which I don’t) then disregarding Ofsted altogether is not a smart line to take. The true trick now is doing the same as what you do when melding the needs of having students learn all the necessary GCSE exam content with the need to have students genuinely love and understand the subject. There are ways to bring those two things together – whatever the doubters say – it just takes careful thought. Likewise, I believe your school will find a way to do the things it genuinely wants *and* do that while meeting Ofsted’s standards. Great headteachers out there show that it really can be done. It just takes time and hardwork. And – I hope! – a lot more blogging.
Thanks for the thoughtful challenge here Laura. I’ve tried to be careful to avoid a couple of things in these posts: one is to avoid a knee-jerk reaction that Ofsted should be abolished, for example, and is useless – this is tempting, easy and, I believe wrong. And another is to make prescriptions or provide answers on topics which are outside my competency or experience – the design of school inspection systems is certainly one such.
I take your point that Ofsted isn’t about me – and the importance of impartial information for government and citizens. I’d moderate it by noting that I think where if we choose to say that on those grounds the reactions of teachers is immaterial, we make a big mistake. Ofsted and Ofsted-driven agendas are, I’d hazard, the single biggest factor affecting teachers wellbeing, enjoyment of their work, autonomy, and career decisions. The combination of hostility, fear and dependency with which Ofsted is regarded is not healthy and it’s not helping schools or teachers improve. I don’t believe the quest for information is worth the harm it’s causing at present.
It might just be – if the information were accurate. But my own (very subjective) feeling is that Ofsted is a little like a blunderbuss – the quantity of shot and the area it spreads out to means that, inevitably, it often hits the target. But it often misses and lands elsewhere, harmfully. The assertions of colleagues in other schools that Ofsted has been conned by their school leaders have been numerous – I wish I could write more about them. Likewise, their are great schools out there who are rated far lower than they deserve. I’m genuinely worried that government and parents are relying on this to make their own calculations.
An idealistic digression: Part of me would be curious about the experiment of getting rid of independent information altogether. I would like to see an environment in which, for example, schools spent more time and took more responsibility for inviting in parents to see students’ learning in action (something GFS has experiment with) and communicated better with home about students’ achievements and struggles. Dare I say it, I’d like to see a world in which we don’t have to ‘choose a good school’ – all schools are good. But, since I see no prospect of either in the short term, I’ll leave those aside.
I like your analogy of teaching what really matters alongside exam specs. I share your conviction that this can be done. I think it is and will only be done in a minority of places, because the stakes – for school leaders particularly, are too high.
As I say, I can’t prescribe, describe, or really imagine what a school inspection system would like like which would be accurate, helpful and informative. These are an unusual set of blogs for me, inasmuch as they have been pretty negative – based on presenting a problem in all its glory and leaving it to others to offer solutions. I look forward to reading more of them.
Reblogged this on The Echo Chamber.
Harry, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs in recent weeks. Your consideration of Ofsted’s purpose and processes have been both interesting and thought-provoking. I wondered whether it would be possible to discuss a couple of things further via email?
I’ve sent you an email – look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for a thoughtful and insightful reflection on your Ofsted experience. It’s helped me understand the challenges of teaching in what can only be described as a lion’s den (by that I mean the current English education system, in particular at a free school, not at GFS per se).
We chose (or should I say, my son chose) GFS because we were and still are excited about the school’s approach to teaching and learning for the WHOLE child, not just to pass exams. When my son (Yr7) challenged my decision to colour my hair recently with a quote from Naomi Wolf’s ‘The Beauty Myth’, I knew we had all made the right decision about GFS.
So keep developing, discovering, being amazed, excited, confused, frustrated, struggling and triumphing – because if you as his teacher are willing to experience these things, so will my son and all the pupils at GFS – and they will want to keep learning for life.
A wonderful comment which I appreciate very much – thank you.
I’ve found this a fascinating series of posts, Harry – thank you for sharing your experiences and your feelings so candidly. I’ve actually found them uplifting rather than ‘negative’, and I found the key phrase, for me, in this last post was “I don’t believe their judgment changes who I am as a teacher.” I think this would have been true whatever the Ofsted outcome.
Continue to be yourself – I think you’re impressive! I’d have been delighted to have someone of your calibre and capacity for reflection in the school where I was a head.
Great series of blogs.
1. I wouldn’t call them negative; they were a realistic report.
2. There is clearly a few life lessons here (not necessarily for you); first one that comes to mind: always listen, but always make up your own mind….never bow to ‘authority’ without thinking.
3. As you say, although tempting, beware of lionising the Ofsted ‘outstanding’ tag…the uncertainty associated with it is very high…instead be focussed on what you need to do to become/remain:
4. ….an ‘effective school’….I agree that all schools should be equally effective; I don’t like the use of ‘excellent’, ‘great’ or ‘strong’….all schools should be effective…it should be the norm (hence no need for other superlatives; especially not official superlatives).
5. Ofsted school inspections are not fit for purpose and can do a lot of damage (I’ve thought this, and been ‘commenting’ as such for a while now). I think we need a new accountability system, and, like you, I don’t see the need to drive that system from a perspective of putting out information to parents et al.
Again, let me say, a great blog series. Thanks.
A superbly written set of Blogs Harry. You have written with genuine passion and no little eloquence on your OFSTED experience. You have also highlighted some key flaws with the inspection team’s process (grading part lesson observations?) and there is much here to reflect on. My own feeling is that because the school has no KS4 data (hardly the school’s fault for being new) the inspection team have gone in over cautious and over critical. My personal interpretation is that the team might well have thought “what if we give the school a good (or outstanding) rating and in 2 1/2 years time the KS4 data is disappointing? Questions will be asked because we didn’t find anything.” This may have coloured the whole inspection process. Any slight concern (or lack of understanding of the new assessment and tracking process) would have been magnified and the team, with their preconceptions, were then less likely to listen to any evidence to the contrary. After all, in 2 1/2 years time when KS4 data is very strong (I’d bet it will be) there would be no come back on the team because they could argue their findings had been instrumental in the improved performance of the school.
I appreciate that my view seems very biased against OFSTED and I have not visited the school to help inform this opinion. But the bottom line is that you know your school inside out. OFSTED are there for 2 days only. You know what your school deserved.
It is hugely refreshing to read what you did the day after OFSTED left. As Andy rightly said, you will do your pupils (and your school) proud the next day and the day after that. This is what really counts.
I look forward to you all showing OFSTED that you are a GREAT school.
Damian