OFSTED!!!!!!

So I haven’t written for a few weeks as it has been hectic yet good. I sent off my applications and got an interview at a beautiful school THEN we had the Ofsted telephone call and Ofsted were coming the day of my interview. The boss begged for me to change the date of my interview and so I did. I knew it would be an instant inadequate if a cover teacher took my class. The kids are monkeys and I have so many systems in place that it is tricky for a supply teacher. I have reward charts, star of the day, dinosaur of the day, marble jars, monitors, stickers and lots more...

I thought I’m not letting Ofsted get in between me and that job, so I prepared well. The interview went very well so I was gutted when I wasn’t offered the post. All that work for nothing! At least I’d lost out to a deputy head teacher. But it turns out the work wasn’t for nothing...they said I’d given such a good interview that they’d recommended me to another head teacher and I got a job at his school. It is not as ideal as what I applied for but it is definitely an opportunity. It was one of those moments when you realise everything has a purpose. I also realised how much head teachers talk as they knew so much about my current school too.

After my interview, I prepared like crazy for OFSTED. Then I waited and waited and waited....but they never came to my class. Then the next day I waited and they came for a maximum of 20 minutes and the kids were awful!!! One child even grabbed my boobs in front of the Ofsted inspector. Nothing like that had ever happened before and I expected an instant INADEQUATE. Luckily I got a good grading for my lesson-phew!!!  All that worry for 20 minutes!!! I deliver a lesson I deem to be crap and they say it was really good. Luckily I’m a teacher whose main concern is always the learning. Making things look good rather than making things work can make things tumble down before you. Lots of the teachers were upset to miss out on an ‘outstanding’ grading for their lesson. But do you really have to work your butt off to get an outstanding? I think the outstanding grading comes for the maximising of progress and learning. The inspector told me in my class, there could be more learning if the behaviour was better as the children did not always stop to listen immediately. That was fair enough I thought. There’s lots of discussion about what makes an outstanding lesson. My only concern is; once everyone is outstanding it will become the new satisfactory and that would be hard work.

Laters

Miss Phitt xx