Here is the GoFundMe link, however please read it before deciding to contribute. They are seeking a particular profile of contributors and contributions, and the money will be used for other things if it’s not used for a legal case.
Not critising this since I’m very unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding this case.
And I’m sure there’s plenty fair criticism to levy against the regulator but how exactly is it Ofsteds fault that she did what she did upon receiving a poor rating? Its their job… you can disagree with their judgement, but it’s their job none-the-less.
I get that can be a massive blow to your self esteem but I feel like if that was enough to send you over the edge then perhaps you needed more help mentally. I get massive blows to my self esteem all the time at work dealing with customers and people.
Could someone explain it? Am I missing something glaring?
My experience was that upper management were usually the cause of teachers poor mental health not ofsted.
Is it just me who feels uneasy about this whole case?
Yes, OFSTED needs improvement itself but I’ve yet to see a suggestion for how it can be done and what system can replace it whilst being effective and efficient.
However, she was clearly mentally unwell and it was the final straw, OFSTED doing their job (hiring teachers without DBS checks absolutely warrants an inadequate rating) cannot solely be blamed for her death.
Furthermore, (and without trying to sound like a Tory) it feels as if the unions are using her death to promote their agenda.
“Teachers said how about 50p each? We replied that would be ‘inadequate’ and they all cried”
I’m sure that the Soham murders are the reason that safeguarding is a limiting judgement for ofsted inspections. Parents unanimously want their children to be safe at school and we all know that paedophiles will target schools. Safeguarding has to be number one on the agenda. Get that right and then get on with educating.
I’m disappointed that neither the Guardian nor the BBC are giving the context here.
The level of stress/pressure that comes with ofsted inspections is insane. I know most jobs come with checks/scrutiny of some kind, but they are not like ofsted. And it is, honestly, ruining teaching.
So much time is wasted by schools creating unnecessary evidence of what they do, just so they can appear better to ofsted on paper. And middle management spend so much time micromanaging what teachers do to ensure ‘consistency’ for ofsted, which lowers morale across the board. The culture of ofsted fear is *permanent* in many schools, not just there when ofsted comes.
What happened to schools in the UK. I left secondary school like 10 years and my school was always highly rated by ofsted.
Then something about academies came a long and my ex headmaster now runs some sort of LLC. Now my school is an academy and rating the lowest possible grade.
Wtf is an academy?
This whole thing is such a joke. Her school was failing in safeguarding. Perhaps the single most important thing a school does. It’s sad what she did but her suicide cannot be put on Ofsted’s door and used as a political weapon against it.
If it was anything but safeguarding I’d have more sympathy with the cause but I just find the whole thing farcical.
> The case will argue that the whole inspection regime is flawed, and Ofsted is not sufficiently transparent about the criteria it uses to downgrade schools. The group is collecting evidence about “unfair” judgments and their “devastating impact”, from heads, teachers, governors, parents and former inspectors in England.
OFSTED aren’t responsible for the “impact” of rating a school accurately, that sits with the school.
If they’re rating inaccurately, that might be a different matter but through the whole article, there’s not a single concrete example of that.
> “There are thousands of people working in education who will be overjoyed to see Ofsted made answerable for the many careers they have ended and the fear and stress they have caused.”
Being gleeful at removing oversight doesn’t make your case for you. Nor does feeling stressed.
> “Inspectors are picking up on trivial points of detail, such as gaps in safeguarding administration, and using them to fail a school that is performing well. That is utterly disgraceful.”
And admitting that OFSTED are downgrading people ***for finding gaps in safeguarding*** just blows your position out of the water.
*A teacher at a secondary school in Surrey, who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, described a recent Ofsted inspection in which the inspector interrupted her lesson to ask her – in front of all her 11- and 12-year-old pupils – to point out the most disadvantaged children.*
*She said: “I was so shocked I just stood there like a goldfish.” The teacher refused to openly point at the children, but offered to show the information on a seating plan, which the inspector refused. This also happened in other classrooms.*
*She said: “At the end of the day they told the head they had asked 10 teachers the same question ‘and only one of them knew’.” The teacher said this assumption was unfair and totally inaccurate.*
Judging by the horror stories, I’d say OFSTED overall is not fit for purpose – some of the inspectors seem to behave in an incredibly bizarre fashion
However, I don’t think using a head who failed to background check teachers as your posterchild is a very good look…
Worth noting that Ofsted only inspects state schools. ISI inspects private and independent schools. Private schools can be Ofsted inspected if they requests it- many don’t bother. The ‘best’ schools don’t even have an Ofsted rating. Ofsted can do what they want with the rest because they aren’t affecting the education of the important children anyway.
Generally support teachers, including the recent strikes, but schools do need to be assessed.
14 comments
Here is the GoFundMe link, however please read it before deciding to contribute. They are seeking a particular profile of contributors and contributions, and the money will be used for other things if it’s not used for a legal case.
https://gofund.me/f81cf585
Not critising this since I’m very unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding this case.
And I’m sure there’s plenty fair criticism to levy against the regulator but how exactly is it Ofsteds fault that she did what she did upon receiving a poor rating? Its their job… you can disagree with their judgement, but it’s their job none-the-less.
I get that can be a massive blow to your self esteem but I feel like if that was enough to send you over the edge then perhaps you needed more help mentally. I get massive blows to my self esteem all the time at work dealing with customers and people.
Could someone explain it? Am I missing something glaring?
My experience was that upper management were usually the cause of teachers poor mental health not ofsted.
Is it just me who feels uneasy about this whole case?
Yes, OFSTED needs improvement itself but I’ve yet to see a suggestion for how it can be done and what system can replace it whilst being effective and efficient.
However, she was clearly mentally unwell and it was the final straw, OFSTED doing their job (hiring teachers without DBS checks absolutely warrants an inadequate rating) cannot solely be blamed for her death.
Furthermore, (and without trying to sound like a Tory) it feels as if the unions are using her death to promote their agenda.
“Teachers said how about 50p each? We replied that would be ‘inadequate’ and they all cried”
I’m sure that the Soham murders are the reason that safeguarding is a limiting judgement for ofsted inspections. Parents unanimously want their children to be safe at school and we all know that paedophiles will target schools. Safeguarding has to be number one on the agenda. Get that right and then get on with educating.
I’m disappointed that neither the Guardian nor the BBC are giving the context here.
The level of stress/pressure that comes with ofsted inspections is insane. I know most jobs come with checks/scrutiny of some kind, but they are not like ofsted. And it is, honestly, ruining teaching.
So much time is wasted by schools creating unnecessary evidence of what they do, just so they can appear better to ofsted on paper. And middle management spend so much time micromanaging what teachers do to ensure ‘consistency’ for ofsted, which lowers morale across the board. The culture of ofsted fear is *permanent* in many schools, not just there when ofsted comes.
What happened to schools in the UK. I left secondary school like 10 years and my school was always highly rated by ofsted.
Then something about academies came a long and my ex headmaster now runs some sort of LLC. Now my school is an academy and rating the lowest possible grade.
Wtf is an academy?
This whole thing is such a joke. Her school was failing in safeguarding. Perhaps the single most important thing a school does. It’s sad what she did but her suicide cannot be put on Ofsted’s door and used as a political weapon against it.
If it was anything but safeguarding I’d have more sympathy with the cause but I just find the whole thing farcical.
> The case will argue that the whole inspection regime is flawed, and Ofsted is not sufficiently transparent about the criteria it uses to downgrade schools. The group is collecting evidence about “unfair” judgments and their “devastating impact”, from heads, teachers, governors, parents and former inspectors in England.
OFSTED aren’t responsible for the “impact” of rating a school accurately, that sits with the school.
If they’re rating inaccurately, that might be a different matter but through the whole article, there’s not a single concrete example of that.
> “There are thousands of people working in education who will be overjoyed to see Ofsted made answerable for the many careers they have ended and the fear and stress they have caused.”
Being gleeful at removing oversight doesn’t make your case for you. Nor does feeling stressed.
> “Inspectors are picking up on trivial points of detail, such as gaps in safeguarding administration, and using them to fail a school that is performing well. That is utterly disgraceful.”
And admitting that OFSTED are downgrading people ***for finding gaps in safeguarding*** just blows your position out of the water.
*A teacher at a secondary school in Surrey, who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, described a recent Ofsted inspection in which the inspector interrupted her lesson to ask her – in front of all her 11- and 12-year-old pupils – to point out the most disadvantaged children.*
*She said: “I was so shocked I just stood there like a goldfish.” The teacher refused to openly point at the children, but offered to show the information on a seating plan, which the inspector refused. This also happened in other classrooms.*
*She said: “At the end of the day they told the head they had asked 10 teachers the same question ‘and only one of them knew’.” The teacher said this assumption was unfair and totally inaccurate.*
Judging by the horror stories, I’d say OFSTED overall is not fit for purpose – some of the inspectors seem to behave in an incredibly bizarre fashion
However, I don’t think using a head who failed to background check teachers as your posterchild is a very good look…
Worth noting that Ofsted only inspects state schools. ISI inspects private and independent schools. Private schools can be Ofsted inspected if they requests it- many don’t bother. The ‘best’ schools don’t even have an Ofsted rating. Ofsted can do what they want with the rest because they aren’t affecting the education of the important children anyway.
Generally support teachers, including the recent strikes, but schools do need to be assessed.