One Day Notice Inspections

[SimpleSi]

BBC News - Ofsted's one-day school inspection warning

 

Can't wait to see the love for our fellow colleagues flow on here once more.

 

You might consider them to be idiots and deserving everything they get but imagine, DB,ZH,Ric and Dominio giving you a call saying they'll be around tomorrow to inspect your ICT Setup to within an inch of its(your) life and be publishing the results in an Edugeek league table and end up putting you in special measures because of the boot time of your slowest machines (Why didn't you add in 4g of RAM and replace the drive with an SSD? ???)

 

Si

[X-13]

but imagine, DB,ZH,Ric and Dominio giving you a call saying they'll be around tomorrow to inspect your ICT Setup to within an inch of its(your) life and be publishing the results in an Edugeek league table and end up putting you in special measures because of the boot time of your slowest machines (Why didn't you add in 4g of RAM and replace the drive with an SSD? ???)

 

 

Come at me, bros!

 

 

I actually wouldn't care if IT was inspected. I have no say in these things, so it's not my fault.

 

Plus, I think that if DB,ZH,Ric and Dominio came to inspect, they'd let people know what the problems are and what should be done to sort it.

 

 

 

Also, no notice inspection > one day notice.

[witch]

I think that if DB,ZH,Ric and Domino came to inspect, they'd let people know what the problems are and what should be done to sort it.

Chuck in @bossman, @garethedmondson and @plexer as well to cover all angles and they would make a formidable team I reckon - would be happy for them to come and look at my ICT Setup

[TechMonkey]

+1

 

If I'm not doing something I shouldn't be then I need to know about. Damn right I'd be nervous but I'd rather be presented with a list of 20 things I need to buck up on and have something to work on and progress towards then run around with a weeks notice to hide those BSOD machines I can't be bothered sorting & to quickly make sure my backup does actually run.

[localzuk]

Trying to compare an inspection on ICT based on things like boot speed with inspection of the quality of teaching is an obvious troll... Physical provision is dependant on funding and funding is not controlled by us.

 

Personally, I welcome people to audit my network. Audits mean fresh eyes on things and potentially can highlight things I may have overlooked, and therefore an audit allows me to improve both as a professional and improve the system technically. Win win.

 

If my head turned round to me and said 'an auditor is coming in tomorrow to look over the system', I'd go 'ok, cool' and that's about it. I wouldn't suddenly have to run around creating documents or covering things up.

 

I did actually have an ICT security audit at the end of last year, and it has highlighted a stack of things we need to improve (some of my area, some of it SMT's job) such as no fire suppression in the server room, encryption missing from mobile devices, no ICT security policy, lots of domain admin accounts which never expire etc... Great stuff, I can now fix these things and make my network better and more secure.

[plexer]

Cool we're all going to see Witch.

 

Ben

[sonofsanta]

I think one day notice inspections are an excellent idea, or even better, no notice beyond a call to the head at 8am - "we'll be in at 9am".

 

However, this should only be done if the inspections themselves are altered to be more realistic. It strikes me as absurd that every lesson is expected to have a full plan when Ofsted arrive. I never see them at any other time of year. Why? Because they're largely unnecessary. Any teacher who has been doing the job for two or three years knows the curriculum, knows the projects they're doing, and knows instinctively whether the students are ahead or behind. They're also flexible in their teaching, so that they can take an unexpected extra ten minutes to explain something that's clearly not making sense. They know that planning homework ahead of time is useless because you don't know where you'll be after an hour of lesson.

 

So make inspections short notice so you get a more realistic snapshot of the school, with the problem children in attendance instead of out on a fishing trip. But only if you start inspecting on what schools actually need to do, not some unattainable, unsustainable golden dream of teaching that requires days of notice to ramp up to.

[localzuk]

Also, what if inspections of eateries were done with several days notice? Every restaurant in the land would be spotless for every inspection, and then as soon as they leave they go back to the same old mess they did before. Instead, they do zero notice inspections and find the problems - and that's why consumers trust the rating given to each eatery by the inspectors.

[SimpleSi]

would be happy for them to come and look at my ICT Setup

I'd put good money on the fact that you've not worked in a school that's been put into special measures - what is it that comes before a fall

 

Si

[mthomas08]

BBC News - Ofsted's one-day school inspection warning

 

Can't wait to see the love for our fellow colleagues flow on here once more.

 

You might consider them to be idiots and deserving everything they get but imagine, DB,ZH,Ric and Dominio giving you a call saying they'll be around tomorrow to inspect your ICT Setup to within an inch of its(your) life and be publishing the results in an Edugeek league table and end up putting you in special measures because of the boot time of your slowest machines (Why didn't you add in 4g of RAM and replace the drive with an SSD? ???)

 

Si

 

I would welcome it

 

If there are ways I can improve our system etc and not have to pay for the inspection - its actually a good idea! We have made some huge improvements over the years with security/policies - even staff have to sign for the laptop on a double sided form to confirm a bunch of things.

 

Although I guess an IT system inspection will take longer? We have so much here and so much would need checking..

[alan-d]

@bossman, @garethedmondson and @plexer

 

What biscuits do you like?

 

[dwhyte85]

Trying to compare an inspection on ICT based on things like boot speed with inspection of the quality of teaching is an obvious troll... Physical provision is dependant on funding and funding is not controlled by us.

 

Personally, I welcome people to audit my network. Audits mean fresh eyes on things and potentially can highlight things I may have overlooked, and therefore an audit allows me to improve both as a professional and improve the system technically. Win win.

 

If my head turned round to me and said 'an auditor is coming in tomorrow to look over the system', I'd go 'ok, cool' and that's about it. I wouldn't suddenly have to run around creating documents or covering things up.

 

I did actually have an ICT security audit at the end of last year, and it has highlighted a stack of things we need to improve (some of my area, some of it SMT's job) such as no fire suppression in the server room, encryption missing from mobile devices, no ICT security policy, lots of domain admin accounts which never expire etc... Great stuff, I can now fix these things and make my network better and more secure.

 

 

Teachers will have the same complaints, not a teachers fault the kids are naughty and don't listen... not a teachers fault that they couldn't get the new fangled gadget that would've aided a lesson. If you work in IT you are partially accountable... whether or not you buy the kit, it's your job to make sure that the kit you do have works as best it can and that your infrastructure is secure - costs nothing to document what you do, costs nothing to put your concerns in an e-mail and it certainly costs nothing to have some pride in your job!

 

Just to add it's not aimed at localzuk, just replying to his post! I imagine localzuk definitely does do those things...

Edited May 30, 2012 by dwhyte85

[localzuk]

Teachers will have the same complaints, not a teachers fault the kids are naughty and don't listen... not a teachers fault that they couldn't get the new fangled gadget that would've aided a lesson. If you work in IT you are partially accountable... whether or not you buy the kit, it's your job to make sure that the kit you do have works as best it can and that your infrastructure is secure - costs nothing to document what you do, costs nothing to put your concerns in an e-mail and it certainly costs nothing to have some pride in your job!

 

Again, this isn't right. A teacher is responsible for the actions of the individuals in their classroom. If they let them run riot without recourse, then that is their fault. If they follow the school procedures and things still don't work, then that is the school's fault for bad procedures.

 

A teacher has little say over the procedures, like we have little say over budget. I could go and ask for £1m a year for my budget, but I'm unlikely to get it. A teacher could ask to bring back caning but is unlikely to get it.

 

I'm accountable for how I manage the equipment that my budget allows me to buy. If I go out and buy computers for £10k each with 386 processors then that is stupidity on my fault and I deserve to be pulled up for it. But if I am using machines that match the stuff generally available on the market, or am stuck with old equipment from 5 years ago and no budget to replace, that is the school's fault, not mine.

 

All those things you say at the end, while true are irrelevant to what I was replying to. SimpleSi commented about SSDs and load up times. These are a direct reflection of the physical capabilities of the machines in place, and they are a reflection of the budget and that is what we don't have control over.

[plexer]

@bossman, @garethedmondson and @plexer

 

What biscuits do you like?

 

 

Custard creams for me please, we'll be there in 10 minutes

 

Ben

[dwhyte85]

A teacher has a BIG say in process! They should be actively contributing if they think process is failing, if they don't they deserve to struggle - like i've said voicing concerns is the very least someone can do! This is the same in IT, whether you're a tech or an NM, you have someone you can voice your concerns to.

 

You complain about 5 year old machines... fair enough, that's old but it's not the end of the world... you need to make your superiors aware of support costs in terms of your time and the frequency of problems, if they are aware - they are at fault. If you sit quietly crying to yourself, pretending all is OK and trying to support these machines whilst your seniors aren't aware, you're at fault... they can argue they aren't the IT people - they didn't know.

 

My point is you can't hide behind "it's not my fault" and nor can a teacher. As much as they don't make the big decisions, they should be telling when they things aren't running right, SLT/SMTs aren't godlike beings, they make poor decisions - as do NMs.

 

I definitely don't miss Ofsted... watching teachers fumbling to use SmartBoards after neglecting them for months, then complaining it's your fault... fun

Edited May 30, 2012 by dwhyte85

[arwen]

I for one would quite like IT in schools to be inspected from a technical point of view (rather than a user point of view). It might give some schools the prod they need to update their equipment/software, when they don't listen to our advice.

[dave.81]

I had an external audit carried out in November last year that was managements decision. I was told 3 days before they were coming onsite, i changed nothing, i did not panic. 2 days of auditing the system and a very large report was handed in.

 

Very useful experience actually, few improvements were pointed out but on the whole was told the system was in a good place with the funding available.

 

If teachers are doing their jobs right then they should no nothing to get stressed about really.... should they???

[localzuk]

A teacher has a BIG say in process! They should be actively contributing if they think process is failing, if they don't they deserve to struggle - like i've said voicing concerns is the very least someone can do! This is the same in IT, whether you're a tech or an NM, you have someone you can voice your concerns to.

 

Once again. No, they do not directly have that ability. A teacher can highlight issues with processes and policies, but if those policies are signed off by the governing body and in place then they should be followed and changes proposed and then agreed via the SMT and signed off by the governing body again. A teacher cannot simply turn round to the SMT and say 'this behaviour policy doesn't work, i'm doing X, Y and Z instead'. Voicing concern is NOT the same as being able to affect change.

 

You complain about 5 year old machines... fair enough, that's old but it's not the end of the world... you need to make your superiors aware of support costs in terms of your time and the frequency of problems, if they are aware - they are at fault. If you sit quietly crying to yourself trying to support these machines and your seniors aren't aware, you're at fault... they can argue they aren't the IT people - they didn't know.

 

Once again, you're assuming that people have any sway with their SMT when it comes to these things. There are thousands of posts on here from NM's highlighting a complete lack of investment into their IT infrastructure, and with them being ignored. People can and do complain and 'make superiors aware' until they're blue in the face but many see nothing come from it.

 

My point is you can't hide behind "it's not my fault" and nor can a teacher. As much as they don't make the big decisions, they should be telling when they things aren't running right, SLT/SMTs aren't godlike beings, they make poor decisions - as do NMs.

 

You're working from the assumption that saying things to people will lead to change. This is a great and idealistic assumption to make but is wrong in a lot of peoples' cases! Have a browse around the Behind the Red Door and you'll see what I mean.

[dwhyte85]

@localzuk

 

I am not saying they will listen, i'm saying at least concerns have been raised and you/they have done all they can do... I've been in the position of nothing getting done, i fully emphathise! Sometimes you might get lucky and things get discussed, from experience it's normally a reply saying thanks for the information and no response

 

Whistleblowing happens in hospitals, perhaps it should happen more in schools if things aren't 'right'. These spot ofsteds are a good thing IMO and i think an audit of IT and Facilities/H&S would be a good thing, then again if they can't listen to the in-house experts what's the point in having them?

Edited May 30, 2012 by dwhyte85

[SimpleSi]

Simon retires back under the bridge ....

Si

PS A friendly audit != <> != a hostile Ofsted

[alan-d]

Custard creams for me please, we'll be there in 10 minutes

 

Ben

 

Kettle is on

[GrumbleDook]

Been part of and done external audits ... there are some really good firms out there which do them and some very aggressive firms who are touting for business (include LA traded services in the description of good or bad firms).

 

No notice is fine when you are doing well ... but hard when you are struggling as the time to find answers for people (when answers don't exist) are just setting you up to fail.

 

Accountability is good ... a firing squad is bad.

 

A friendly face who understands your problems is good, but might not hold you as accountable as you might want. QA is not there to be your friend, but they shouldn't be your enemy either.

[Ketlane]

If a school's management and staff are getting things right, inspection will reveal exactly what management and staff know already: strengths, weaknesses, whatever. If they are not getting things right, the inspection report will be a surprise.

 

If inspections are done right (I know this is another discussion) they should produce reports which accurately describe a school - and therefore will not be news to the Head, SLT or Governors.

 

Full marks to people who have posted above to say they'd welcome inspection of their own IT areas: these are clearly people who are working hard and making as sure as they can that they are getting things right, who are analytical and self-critical.

[contink]

Just one small point...

 

Not all schools, heads, governors, or staff are equal... There are different challenges, levels of engagement, etc... in each... With a wife still teaching but doing supply in secondary, I get to hear of the huge range in behaviour, policies, headteachers attitudes, etc. If you're in a single school for years at a time, without a great deal of direct experience of others it's very difficult to avoid comparing all schools to your experience in the same way that parents seem to draw on a 18+ year old experience and try to apply it to their childrens own experience now.

 

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with inspections if they came without the obvious political agendas or outrageous expectations. Unfortunately it seems like the whole process is nothing but a rubber stamp exercise to push privatisation, undermine teachers, headteachers and state education rather than a supportive measure similar to the audit approach being discussed for IT. Wouldn't a constructive crit' approach make a world of difference?

[GrumbleDook]

Schools already have a range of ways that they can obtain constructive criticism. This does depend on the status of the school, the political relationships and also the existing grade of the school.

 

LAs have had SIPs (School Improvement Partners) for some time. The centralised push on this has been removed and schools are more freely available to gain this support and advice from others. Academies will do this between their own schools, some trust / foundation schools have been buying in advice / support for some time ... this is nothing new, just not always in plain site of all staff.

 

The idea of OFSTED is not to inspect every aspect of the school, but to inspect and check the ability of the SLT / partners / Governors to run / lead / assess the school. The criteria behind this have changed and very quickly too. Moving goal posts is always a difficult thing to deal with, especially when you have had a 3-5 year plan for a school and suddenly have to change the types of courses you are running, how you staff certain areas of the school, deal with news schools (e.g. Free Schools) cropping up and taking a chunk of your intake and so on.

 

Add to that changes to testing in primary schools, disillusioned staff (teachers and associate staff) then any school that is on the brink (for so many reasons) then the idea of one day notice will either break a school or get the school into the position of simply accepting and not caring. It is hard to be the latter when you are a classroom teacher knowing that, no matter how you have been graded in your observations, an external group might mark you up or down on what is, basically, a moderation exercise.