I am today incensed by the news headline "Schools trick Ofsted Inspectors". Surely everyone working in education should want the same thing - the best for the young people with whom we work - so if schools feel they have to try to be devious in their dealings with Ofsted it is the system which is flawed! We should all be working together for positivity not living in a culture of fear and suspicion.
Ofsted is a big stick, wielded over schools and their headteachers. It holds a sinister intention of fear and negativity as if schools are bad places that need a saviour in the guise of Ofsted to eradicate the evil that lurks within.
This could not be further from the truth. I have worked in a number of schools and have never encountered complacency or disregard of the needs of the young people who attend.
Schools care about their students, not just their academic achievements but the nurture of them as individuals, providing support as families struggle with unemployment, breakdown of relationships and all the other life events that impact on personal development. They do the best they can with the resources they have. Areas for improvement should be identified and acted upon. Good practice should be highlighted and shared. However, most importantly, it needs to take place within a culture of trust and enlightenment rather than mistrust and shadow.
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