specail measures

‘Ofsted’-does this little word create a shiver down your spine, give you sleepless nights and an eruption of hives? Or are you one of those leaders who confidently screams ‘Bring it on!’ as you stride down the corridor, the latest copy of your school SEF clutched in your hand? Whatever your personal feelings are, there’s no doubt that Ofsted, its purpose and procedures, remain a controversial issue. One such controversy exists as to whether all schools are playing on a level field. Is Ofsted fundamentally easier for some schools than others? Is a one-size fits all inspection fair, or even what is needed to create sustainable improvement in our schools?

Like most leaders, in my teaching career I have survived an assortment of Ofsteds in a number of different schools. Just as each school was unique, each inspection was unique too. Regimes and criteria have changed but the fundamental principle (according to Ofsted at least) that inspections exist to challenge schools and promote improvement, remains the same.

From the moment I stepped into my last school, I knew that it was failing. With a maverick Headteacher in charge, as a deputy I was able to make little impact. 18 months later, the much-feared judgment, that special measures were needed, came as no surprise. Correspondingly, I had not been surprised when my previous school was judged Outstanding. It was obvious that the children were getting a pretty good deal. The two schools served very different catchment areas, with very different clientele. So was it just the difference in the school’s socio-economic profiles that made one more able to succeed than the other? Research does not show that this is the case; in his Annual Report 2011/2012, Sir Michael Wilshaw stressed that...

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...How can a deprived school compete against such obvious advantages?

The painful truth is that, though we can argue that some schools have more challenging circumstances than others, it is harder to dispute the desirability of Ofsted’s vision of Outstanding: ‘Pupils make rapid and sustained progress throughout year groups across many subjects, including English and mathematics, and learn exceptionally well.’ We know that schools in deprived areas can be and are often successful. As leaders we need to strive for our schools to meet this standard, whatever its circumstances. Education is the only way out for most families caught in a cycle of deprivation. It could even be argued that challenging schools need to be better than their counterparts in more affluent areas. Challenging schools need to stay focussed and understand the difference between tree and tinsel.