Guest Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hi all I've never started a topic so here goes..... I work at a pre-school and have a good relationship with our local childminder.She has recently had her inspection which was "good". When she asked why she hadn't achieved outstanding the inspector told her she wasn't authorised to give that grade. Has anyone else had this experiance and does this mean they know how they are going to grade you before hand? To me this opens up all sorts of theories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 congratulations in starting a new topic - how can an ofsted inspector not be authorised to give an outstanding!!!! - sorry dosnt make sence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Not heard of this. But our inspector demurred a bit when I asked him if it was our building which prevented us getting outstanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 under the old system we were told we would never be able to acheive outstanding due to building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 im sorry but our building is not the best... but we managed it - surely it cant be about brick and morter but how you get around the issues that count?? - but hey im not an inspector so what bdo i know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 and there's no such thing as a standard inspector either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 very true Cait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 im sorry but our building is not the best... but we managed it - surely it cant be about brick and morter but how you get around the issues that count?? - but hey im not an inspector so what bdo i know!! my thought too!!! ours had issues with our lack of outside area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Are we following each other about again Hali? I think your Jury Service must coincide with my death-knell meeting about our building! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 i always like to follow you cait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Hi Carolyn - That's a very interesting suggestion. I've never heard anyone suggest that inspectors could be qualified to only give a certain level of result and I don't believe it's likely to be true. Is it possible that your friend misunderstood this reply? I assume it's only verbal, and I'd be happy to take a bet that you wouldn't see it written down anywhere, because it would make a nonsense of the inspection process. Another possibility could be that the inspector took the easy option because she either wasn't confident enough or didn't want to enter into a discussion on the points that prevented her giving an outstanding result? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 We were told we couldn't be graded as outstanding because we had only been working as a FSU for 3 months ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Is there a chance the Inspector said "I can't give an outstanding" meaning she couldn't because your friend didn't have/do something that would warrant an outstanding, rather than she wasn't "qualified" to give outstanding? Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Oops, forget my last post just re-read your post - sorry!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I have come across a couple of inspectors that have said 'I never give outstanding' , a bit like the teacher we all had at school I'm sure that never gave an 'A' no matter what you did. This is likely to be down to the individual and as Steve said would never be written down anywhere. But I am also aware that inspectors are sometimes advised NOT to give outstanding if they are relatively new in the role, ie until they have enough experience under their belt to be able to really know the difference between good and outstanding. It could be (although I am only guessing) that this is what your friends inspector meant by 'not authorised' to. Or it could be some other reason entirely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 It still seems unfair - surely there could be some mechanism therefore whereby the new inspector could say, "look, I'm giving you good for that, but taking the info to my superior who may agree to upgrade to outstanding" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestar Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 We have just had our inspection and got outstanding in all areas we are a new setting in a village hall! On the second day our inspector did spend a lot of time on the phone to her manager having to justify why she thought we should get outstanding as its quite unusual to give a new setting and one in a village hall. I do think that perhaps all inspectors are slightly different which does seem a bit unfair (not that Im complaining!!! x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 We have just had our inspection and got outstanding in all areas we are a new setting in a village hall!On the second day our inspector did spend a lot of time on the phone to her manager having to justify why she thought we should get outstanding as its quite unusual to give a new setting and one in a village hall. I do think that perhaps all inspectors are slightly different which does seem a bit unfair (not that Im complaining!!! x x I think I may have already congratulated you on your 'outstanding' but just in case - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! It is so obvious from reading various forum posts that these b****y inspectors are not singing from the same hymn sheet and that it is far from a level playing field (this is really something I have always known really) - does seem terribly unfair to me. sunnyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 and to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 and to me I'm actually having a quiet 'fume' about all of this - but that's nothing new! sunnyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Perhaps the Office for Standards in Education could do with a regulatory body to regulate their standards - you game for that with me Sunnyday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplewednesday1 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I'm assuming that soe of th lovely people on here are LEA advisors etc so have access to a OFSTED hotline / meeting type thing. I know in our area advisors have feedback Q+A sessions with OFSTED. Could these points as random samples from Practitioners be put forward to someone? Our last inspector (2005) was the devil incarnate! - not a happy experience, she nearly broke the spirit in my staff - i was so CROSS pw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I was just wondering what percentage of the work we do is for the benefit of ofsted, rather than for the benefit of the children, and I suspect a fair proportion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiny Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Before you know it Ofsted will be printing out our SEF on Ofsted headed paper and signing it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I recently attended an early years meeting at our local authority (I attend as a local rep of voluntary/non-maintained pre-schools) and we invited in our new Ofsted Area Team Leader. She is responsible for all the inspectors in our area and beyond. She made it quite clear that she would be meeting regularly with our LA Officers and invited us to pose just such questions and she would always endeavour to answer as fully and quickly as possible. I will add this to the list!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I can't answer the query either, some feasable suggestions though have been made. following on from sunnyday's rant........I do wonder if Inspectors realise the 'impact' of their judgements, not just on morale but on financial viability of settings. Parents will if given the choice between a satisfactory or good setting in their area choose the good. If there is a saturation of settings in an area with fierce competition between them, then the 'grade' given can affect whether some settings become unsustainable. Sustainability impacts on quality for children, as much as anything else. The 'unsatisfactory' grade I was given in 2003, which was not removed until 2006, because inspectors didn't re-inspect for 3 years was definately a huge part of the reason I closed my setting in 2007. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 It's hugely unfair. I had to answer a barrage of questions when our rating changed from the old 'very good' to 'good'. Very good as a standard simply ceased to exist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Perhaps the Office for Standards in Education could do with a regulatory body to regulate their standards - you game for that with me Sunnyday? Absolutely Cait! sunnyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Yes, Cait, we had that experience as well. Our report read like an Outstanding in most areas, but when asked why we didn't get one the Inspector replied that to be Outstanding, a setting should 'make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up' One of the Directors remarked that his frequently did as he walked through the nursery - no response Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I recently attended an early years meeting at our local authority (I attend as a local rep of voluntary/non-maintained pre-schools) and we invited in our new Ofsted Area Team Leader. She is responsible for all the inspectors in our area and beyond. She made it quite clear that she would be meeting regularly with our LA Officers and invited us to pose just such questions and she would always endeavour to answer as fully and quickly as possible. I will add this to the list!! Perhaps there's some hope then .................... sunnyday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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