How is everyone this morning? Fit and well, I hope.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. It started with a lovely chat with Chris over coffee after which I whizzed off to Lindsey's for my personal training session - really good as always and I'm a bit achey in a good way this morning. I like proof that I've worked those muscles well.
Later on I attended a Governors' training session via Teams. It was all about the new OF**ED framework for inspections from our academy trust external adviser person who is also an OF*T*D inspector,
He's really very pleasant (apart from the O****D bit, maybe) and very helpful. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be that great but, actually, it was really interesting and very helpful with opportunities for questioning and discussion and I'm glad I attended.
He's really very pleasant (apart from the O****D bit, maybe) and very helpful. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be that great but, actually, it was really interesting and very helpful with opportunities for questioning and discussion and I'm glad I attended.
I don't know whether it was the thought of ****** or what, but I woke around two thirty and I don't think I got back to sleep again so today is going to be a weary sort of day. I have Slimming World shortly and then a small (I hope) shop in Morrisons and then the day's my own as Alex can't come over after all. I expect there will be a fair amount of snoozing going on this afternoon!
Sorry about all the ***s - my actual experiences of OFSTED were overwhelmingly positive but the fear that the whole thing created in school from the word go still remains with me and making a bit of joke about it helps. I don't know if any teachers reading can relate to this or is is just me?
Anyway - on to nicer things - I hope you have a lovely Friday, packed with good and positive things. See you tomorrow. xx
We are clearing the garage ready for a paid uplift next week from a licensed company-there’s way too much stuff to take to the tip in my car. I am prepping 60 cards for a workshop next week so am keeping busy. Not cold here but very damp. Have a nice weekend and enjoy your crochet. Catriona
ReplyDeleteOh, my! You really are very busy. Good luck with it all. xx
DeleteI think most teachers will relate to your feelings about Ofsted. Very stressful for all concerned. Hope the aches dissipate and your day is all you wish it to be.
ReplyDeleteThat's reassuring. And thanks, I'm having a nice day so far. Hope you are too. xx
DeleteYes, Ofsted is a negative word in most folks experience methinks.
ReplyDeleteA dull damp day here and I'll definitely be hava cosy nap this afternoon.
Alison in Devon x
Lovely. It's damp feeling here as well and I turned up the heating - so my cosy nap was also warm. Lovely! Hope yours was too. xx
DeleteI was a teaching assistant for 26/7 years before I retired and had some good and some awful experiences of O***** . One which sticks in the mind to this day was by an ex-army officer (what he knew about education I have no idea). On the first day when we all met in the staff room for introductions he said something on the lines of 'you can all take those smiles of your faces and drop this false we all help each other out and work together as a good team act'. What was really sad is that we did genuinely work well together, helping each other out when needed because we were a very small school with only four teachers and five TA's, four classes from 4 to 11 year old. He was so horrible he made a NQT cry when giving his feedback on her lesson and completely crushed her self confidence.
ReplyDeleteJane a regular reader
Oh, Jane, that is absolutely awful. I doubt they would say that nowadays. I think most schools - primary ones, anyway - do generally work very well together and support each other. What a horrible, horrible man and that poor NQT . . .
DeleteMy personal experiences have all been good but I have no doubt that some schools were really put through the grindstone and teachers were destroyed in the process, especially in the earlier days.
Thank you for reading - I appreciate that. xx
To be honest I have never heard a teacher or any member of school staff say that the whole Ofsted idea was a good one. There needs to be a major look and refresh of our education system, for our children's futures sake.
ReplyDeleteI think there are hopes that this new framework will be completely different but - well, time will tell, won't it? xx
DeleteMy daughter works for Derby University and they have just been Ofsted'd (is there such a word), her face said it all! But they did get a good report, but are still looking to lose 200 jobs. Xx
ReplyDeleteThat's the term we use!
DeleteFunding in education is dreadful at the moment. Two hundred jobs is terrible . . . xx
I don't know much about the education system in the UK. Funding in the province where my son teaches is the lowest in Canada. The provincial government there would rather fund private schools than the public ones. The teachers went on strike and were forced back to work and can't strike again or bargain for that matter for the next 5 years due to the way the provincial government used a clause in the Canadian Constitution .
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I bet that creates great positive relationships between education and state - not!
DeleteIt's a crying shame because it could be so good with a bit of understanding and knowledge of how things actually work rather than how experts think they should work. Education is far too vulnerable to political shifting. xx
It must be quite worrying when an inspection is coming. We used to have an audit (not for a school) at work, and I used to dread it every year. We never knew when they would come. It would be a Mondy or Tuesday so I would hold my breath until it was Wednesday and I was safe again!
ReplyDeleteI did a long reply and then forgot to 'publish' so it all vanished. Doh!!
DeleteThe essence was that things are better now, to be fair, both in stated aims and in execution but the whole system is still historically rooted in fear, negativity and failure which will be very hard, if not impossible to throw off and that can't be good. xx
I got through 4 O***** and survived.. but the worry and stress was immense
ReplyDeleteMe too - and they were all overwhelmingly positive for me, personally, but . . . just what you say! xx
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