Website with OFSTEd early Warning

[vanginger]

Got my Google Analytics set up, thanks to @mavhc

It emails at the end of the day though, I can't find any way of getting it the instant the alert activates, other than paying for an external service?

[DavR]

I had a call from my head this morning where he started talking about monitoring website traffic.... before he asked the question I said "you've read that article about Ofsted early warning, haven't you?"

 

We are "due" Ofsted, but I think I've put him off the idea. I was greatly amused though

[jthompson]

I had a call from my head this morning where he started talking about monitoring website traffic.... before he asked the question I said "you've read that article about Ofsted early warning, haven't you?"

 

We are "due" Ofsted, but I think I've put him off the idea. I was greatly amused though

 

I heard you liked an early warning about Ofsted early warning, so I put an early warning on the article about Ofsted early warning, so that you can be warned early about being asked about being warned early.

 

Edit: yeahh, I'm not that up to date on cultural references.

Edited April 17, 2023 by jthompson

[RoLaJo]

Thanks

[RoLaJo]

Interesting

[Brax]

We got the message today. Great Stuff from Greenhouse, expecting the call any minute!

[benb2000]

Is it just greenhouse that offer this service?

[benb2000]

And is it reliant on GA as surely they are wise to this now and would run GA blockers so the visits aren't tracked, so you need to use server logs.

[Brax]

Is it just greenhouse that offer this service?

Ofsted didn't call but they did look at our term dates. Still monitoring. As far as I know yes it's just Greenhouse and as for how their algorithm works it's a company secret so I don't know if it runs via GA. In their CMS you can setup your own "Document Alerts" and you can see who has downloaded a PDF from our policies and identify a potential trend, in addition to their early warning system.

[mavhc]

Lots of companies offer it, how well they work is a question that could only be shown in aggregate.

 

Use https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?start=0&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10&sort=date&order=desc to see who's been inspected, and look at all the logs of your clients to find patterns, could use ML to automate it

[benb2000]

Ofsted didn't call but they did look at our term dates. Still monitoring. As far as I know yes it's just Greenhouse and as for how their algorithm works it's a company secret so I don't know if it runs via GA. In their CMS you can setup your own "Document Alerts" and you can see who has downloaded a PDF from our policies and identify a potential trend, in addition to their early warning system.

Thanks

[DGardiner]

its not even hard to "detect" i definately wouldnt pay a company for it - if you have log access to the webserver you can catch it.

[benb2000]

its not even hard to "detect" i definately wouldnt pay a company for it - if you have log access to the webserver you can catch it.

 

Yeah that's what i'm thinking, be best to do it at server level rather than GA.

[benb2000]

Lots of companies offer it, how well they work is a question that could only be shown in aggregate.

 

Use https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/search?start=0&status%5B0%5D=1&rows=10&sort=date&order=desc to see who's been inspected, and look at all the logs of your clients to find patterns, could use ML to automate it

 

Interesting, so you mean look at the last inspection and view the logs for that time period and see for any patterns.

[mavhc]

Interesting, so you mean look at the last inspection and view the logs for that time period and see for any patterns.

 

yep, and do it over multiple schools so you can get data more often than once every 5 years

[Theblacksheep]

how are people configuring this now ISP domain are gone from analytics?

[andy_b]

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-tightens-inspection-early-warning-alert-loophole/

[DGardiner]

well... since its fixed. Referrer was from ......

[jthompson]

"Noone expects the Spanish Ofsted!"

[mavhc]

It's easy to detect Ofsted, did anyone ever read your policies?

[DavR]

It's easy to detect Ofsted, did anyone ever read your policies?

 

It's either Ofsted, or a parent is about to kick up a massive stink about something!

 

Hell, most of the staff have never read the policies....

[mikeprice]

"Noone expects the Spanish Ofsted!"

 

Based on this thread once OFSTED arrive the IT tech has an easy time for a week or so and can relax in

 

 

 

 

The Comfy Chair

 

 

 

 

(sorry)

[thimon]

If (naughty) students found out about how these early warning systems work, what’s to stop them and their friends looking at the school’s policies from their website multiple times from various devices and locations and triggering an alert?

[mikeprice]

If (naughty) students found out about how these early warning systems work, what’s to stop them and their friends looking at the school’s policies from their website multiple times from various devices and locations and triggering an alert?

 

Or - alternatively - a disgruntled (ex)-employee???

[DavR]

I think that one of the deciding factors was, originally, the source IP / domain that the traffic originated from. So it's not just policies viewed, it was a pattern of behaviour, from a certain location known to be OFSTED offices.

 

I believe those origin tracking features have been turned off or reduced in Google Analytics now though.