| School Inspection: a teacher's guide to preparing, surviving and evaluating OFSTED Inspection | |||
ForewordBy Gervase Phinn The Inspector Calls Miss, miss, there's a man at the back of the classroom
With a big black book and smile like a crocodile. |
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Miss, miss, there's a man at the back of the classroom With a long sharp pencil and eyes like a shark. Miss, he asked me what I liked best about our school. And when I said, 'the dinners!' - he wrote it down. Miss, miss, there's a
man at the back of the classroom Miss, miss, why don't you tell him to 'BUZZ OFF!' I should imagine that there are few teachers in the country who would not echo the sentiments in this poem - that the silent and unnerving presence sitting in the corner of the classroom, clipboard on lap, pencil poised, eagle eyes glinting menacingly, would 'buzz off'. There can be little doubt that the word Ofsted fills most teachers with fear and anxiety, causes stress and illness in others and sometimes develops into a deep and abiding dread. And the horror stories about the Ofsted inspector abound: 'she swanned into my classroom without a by-you-leave and left without a word'. 'He stood at the front like a great Eastern statue with a face like a death mask.' 'All three of them watched the assembly from the back of the hall like the three monkeys, comparing notes the whole time and not smiling once.' Recently, on a literature course I was directing, I asked the teachers attending to compose a poem beginning: 'Inspectors expect you to:' It is interesting that not one poem mentioned anything positive about the process of school inspection. Inspectors expect you to: So Ofsted and the inspectors who undertake it get a bad press. Few teachers would welcome an inspection but none would deny that there is a need for an outside and objective assessment on how well their school is doing and in what ways it could improve. What teachers would welcome, however, is a practical and clearly written book, free of jargon and gobbledegook, to help them prepare effectively and become fully informed about the process itself. This teacher's guide is just such a text. School Inspection looks to those facing the dreaded Ofsted. It is not a 'tips for teachers' book but a manual full of sensible advice and really useful information which will hearten teachers and encourage them to prepare for the Ofsted experience in a positive way. The clear structure, interesting examples of good practice, lively commentaries and anecdotes enhance the text and make it very readable and accessible. The pros and cons of inspection and the background to Ofsted are covered, how an inspection team works is described simply, detailed advice is given about the documentary evidence required and how the school's results and pupils' achievements are interpreted and evaluated. The characteristics of an effective teacher and how judgements about him or her are made are considered and there is much, much more to support governors, headteachers and classroom practitioners. What this text does, above all, is to reassure those being evaluated that the inspection process need not be viewed as such a frightening prospect and that school inspectors are not the humourless and insensitive box tickers who have little empathy or understanding of the demanding and challenging role undertaken by the teachers they are observing. School Inspection is a must for every staffroom bookshelf. It is a valuable resource which will be of real interest and use for those about to grapple with the challenges of Ofsted. Gervase Phinn See published titles by Gervase Phinn
here
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