Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Ofsted

"Too many lessons are dull and uninspiring" says schools inspection agency, Ofsted today. When you look at the detail, it emerges that half of all lessons were judged to be better than 'satisfactory' and obviously the other half were either satisfactory or worse. (So it's possible that 100% were 'satisfactory' or better)

Anybody judging a large number of anythings, whether they are marrows or lessons will pre decide an average grade (ie satisfactory) as you look a bit silly if you always judge things to be 'excellent' or 'rubbish'.

The worst case conclusion from these results is that half of lessons are better than average and half are worse. Well I'd never have worked that one out. What a great use of public money.

I'll go through Ofsted's criteria for judging lessons in the near future (and if you're the parent of a bright kid, you will be horrified).

6 comments:

jaljen said...

That old chestnut! Satisfactory (as we all know) does not satisfy. It certainly fails to satisfy dear old OFSTED. You simply couldn't make it up.

We just sent a letter home apologising for being rated 'good'. We were 'good' last time so we should have been 'outstanding' this time. Where that leaves us for the NEXT time I have no clue!

Don said...

When I got a school report with "satisfactory" as the comment, it was usually for something like PE or maybe the Housemaster's comment, and generally denoted that the master concerned couldn't actually remember who I was. If it was a subject I was halfway interested in, then it definitely carried an implicit 'could (or more accurately, should) do better'.

Looking back on them, the majority of our lessons were for the most part "dull and uninspiring". But we learned!. The subject matter was solid and we retained what we were taught. 45 years on, I can still remember most of what I was taught for O level French quite clearly as if it were yesterday.

Fee said...

I don't care if my kids' lessons are dull and uninspiring - so long as they learn. Let's face it, when they leave school, no matter what career they pursue, there will be days when they consider 'going postal' just to break the monotony! We may as well send kids into the world prepared for the reality that it's not all fun, fun, fun.

oldgirlatuni said...

Some subjects can be nothing but boring - but going to school to be entertained? No, as far as I understand it, going to school is about education, and working hard.

Or has the world slipped of its axis again?

It seems to happen quite a lot these days.

Dack said...

Great. They shackle you to having to teach 'their way' then slag you off for doing it.

Tossers.

Hopefully when the '40%' of crap teachers are sacked and the army come in to do the job - or the legions of brilliant teachers out there who haven't thought of entering the profession as yet - they'll all be issued with clown suits and juggling balls.

Unknown said...

Hello,

We've got some great Blogs to share about Ofsted inspections and the trepidation they bring!

Chris is a teacher in Watford and he wrote a series of amusing takes on the process - http://proto-uk-supply-teaching.blogspot.com/2010/10/ofsted-man-cometh-part-one-by-chris.html

Enjoy!

Cordelia
Protocol Education
www.protocol-education.com