Satisfactory is not good enough, Ofsted warns schools

7:00pm Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News

SATISFACTORY is no longer good enough.

That is the message Oxfordshire schools will hear when they face Ofsted inspections under the new framework, launched this week.

Up to now schools received one of four judgements, outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate, with inadequate schools issued with notices to improve or placed in special measures.

Now ‘requires improvement’ will replace the ‘satisfactory’ judgement and schools which receive the new grading will get support from Ofsted to drive standards until they meet the criteria to be judged ‘good’.

Oxfordshire County Council education cabinet member Melinda Tilley welcomed the new regime.

She said: “If you tell people they are satisfactory they assume everything is alright and I don’t think some of the ones that have been judged as satisfactory are alright. This new judgement will make people think a bit about what they need to do.”

Schools will also have less warning of inspections, being told inspectors are coming the afternoon before the visit.

Previously schools had between one and two days’ notice.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Michael Wilshaw said: “I make no apology for introducing an inspection framework that raises expectations and focuses on the importance of teaching.

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“The new short-notice inspections allow inspectors to see schools as they really are.”

The most recent figures, dating back to the end of March this year, show 63 per cent of Oxfordshire schools are rated outstanding or good.

Comments(9)

lcfc says...
8:15pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Summertown Star 12 A* wrote:
They should have NO notice of inspections, what is the point. Do environmental health warn restaurants the day before they are coming. Inspect the schools without warning and see what they are really like.
Just one question Summertown Star, what happens when the inspectors come in and the Headteacher is at a Child Protection Meeting, or out of school on one of many other things that Headteachers now have to do beyond what I am sure you are not aware of from your ill informed ivory tower. The notice the school gets is 12-24 hours not long enough to hide anything you think they may have to hide but long enough for the Headteacher to rearrange thier busy schedules.

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lcfc says...
9:12pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Summertown Star 12 A* wrote:
lcfc wrote:
Summertown Star 12 A* wrote:
They should have NO notice of inspections, what is the point. Do environmental health warn restaurants the day before they are coming. Inspect the schools without warning and see what they are really like.
Just one question Summertown Star, what happens when the inspectors come in and the Headteacher is at a Child Protection Meeting, or out of school on one of many other things that Headteachers now have to do beyond what I am sure you are not aware of from your ill informed ivory tower. The notice the school gets is 12-24 hours not long enough to hide anything you think they may have to hide but long enough for the Headteacher to rearrange thier busy schedules.
Then the deputy head accompanies the inspectors, and if there is no a deputy head, then the school is not being run in an acceptable fashion, even 6 hours is long enough for the school to get rid of the unruly kids and present a false facade. I do not get even 1 minutes notice of an inspection and I may well be away from my restaurant at a supplier etc , so why schools?
Summertown Star you really have no clue about how a modern day school is run. There is no way a school can hide children, and the way children behave is only one aspect of a modern day inspection. The inspection will be looking at results over the last 12-24 months which again can not be hidden how ever long the school gets in notice. I know as an active parent I would want the Headteacher of both of the schools my children attends to be present for any inspection.

As for comparing an inspection in food prep with an inspection in educating the next generation is like comparing apples and fish

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FlyFishing says...
10:57pm Tue 4 Sep 12

So Melinda Tilley says " “If you tell people they are satisfactory they assume everything is alright and I don’t think some of the ones that have been judged as satisfactory are alright." but the Ofsted definition of satisfactory is "Pupils are progressing at least as well in the subject as all pupils nationally given their starting points. Groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, are also making progress in line with similar groups of pupils nationally. Pupils generally learn well in the subject, with no major weaknesses. They acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills, including those in reading, writing, communication and mathematics that will ensure they are prepared adequately for the next stage in their education, training or employment. The standards of attainment of the majority of groups of pupils are likely to be in line with national averages for all pupils. Where standards of groups of pupils are below those of all pupils nationally, the gaps are closing overall. In exceptional circumstances, where attainment is low overall, it is improving over a sustained period." In fact to be good you have to be better than the majority of your peers, so the question is Ms Tilley "just how do you expect the majority of schools to better than the majority of their peers?

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Quentin Walker says...
10:31am Wed 5 Sep 12

'...Oxfordshire County Council education cabinet member Melinda Tilley welcomed the new regime.
She said: “If you tell people they are satisfactory they assume everything is alright and I don’t think some of the ones that have been judged as satisfactory are alright. This new judgement will make people think a bit about what they need to do.”....'

Well, it's back to school for you, Melinda. The definition of 'satisfactory' in the Oxford English Dictionary is as follows:

satisfactory |ˌsatisˈfakt(ə)r
|
adjective
fulfilling expectations or needs; acceptable

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xjohnx says...
10:45am Wed 5 Sep 12

The term 'Satisfactory' actually means 'good enough' in this contect.

If you don't mean it when you say it, use the term 'unsatisfactory'.

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King Joke says...
5:12pm Wed 5 Sep 12

Surely a 'no notice' inspection would be better for teachers? Under the current regime, the 12-hour notice means a 10-11 pm finish for staff the night before the inspection, with the staff's home lives turned upside down.

I don't see why a head or a deputy needs to be present when inspectors arrive; admin staff are quite capable of checking credentials and escorting inspectors to the relevant teaching rooms.

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lcfc says...
7:23pm Wed 5 Sep 12

Summertown & King Joke. The inspection now only lasts 1-2 days and as I have said a headteacher has so many more responsibilites that can take them offsite for more than the time it can take to inspect the school. The notice is only there to try to ensure that the headteacher can cancel/rearrange any other meetings or courses they are on. Can you imagine the image a prospective parent would have when they read that the school was inspected with the headteacher being offsite. Thankfully the government have seen sense on this issue as an Ofsted report can make or break a school (and it's staff).

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King Joke says...
6:37am Thu 6 Sep 12

Fly Fishing is right - in any variable system, someone, somewhere will have to be average. THat's just how statistics work. It's grossly unfair to condemn the average, putting their careers and livelihoods in jeapordy.

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Severian says...
11:40pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Icfc is right - Ofsted not only want to see the school, but will want to talk to the Chair of Governors about governance aspects.

Turning up unannounced to inspect a school and discovering that the Head is away for the day, and the Chair of Governors is at work, is hardly going to allow them to gain an accurate picture of the way the school is managed and run.

And Melinda Tilley needs to return to school and take a maths module on statistics, so she can understand why all schools can't be better than average.

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