What Does Satisfactory Mean To You

[Guest jenpercy]

Is it just me being pedantic - as far as I was concerned before all this OFSTED lark - i thought that satisfactory meant, well satisfactory as in ticks all the boxes. I now discover that it means that you are failing qand in need of help!!!!

[Cait]

we were told at school years ago that it meant giving cause for satisfaction' - make of that what you will

[Rea]

I'd take it with a pinch of salt. Inspections are about every 3 years but your families and children are with you every day for years, if they're happy, I take no notice of the report.

Satisfactory to me, means its ok, nothing bad to report.

[Guest]

We were told by our last inspector that satisfactory meant we were doing what we should be doing and that she and some other inspectors had complained about the term and the meaning given to it by Ofsted and LAs. According to our LA it means "sort yourselves out NOW - you are letting us down" but our parents think it means "well done"! I'd go with the parents and their word of mouth advertising everytime as they see us day in day out.

[hali]

i wold say it means you are meeting the standards you need to - to pass - so yes your fine

Edited October 26, 2010 by hali

[Guest]

We are the same, our LA looks at satisfactory as just "passed" but could do better. They are pushing for all of us to be Good if not outstanding!!!!!!

[Guest jenpercy]

We are the same, our LA looks at satisfactory as just "passed" but could do better. They are pushing for all of us to be Good if not outstanding!!!!!!

 

Yes I too thought well that's the Inspection done for 3 years and that is all I care about until the LA descended like the wolves unto the fold!!!

[mundia]

Its worth being aware that the new code of practice (chapter 4: quality) does require LAs to fund as priority those settings which are good or better. OFSTED judgment may be just one of the criteria used to determine this, Im sure many members here will have heard of 'RAG' rating or EQUISP, ECERS, or other means.

 

Settings that are not good or better will be given support to improve but ultimately funding can be withdrawn from those settings if there is already enough provision in the area that is rated good or above. Obviously how this works in practice will be down to your local code, so I would strongly advise you to take a look at it if you have one. At some point you will have been or will be asked to sign it, so you really do need to know what it says.

 

This is why if you are a satisfactory setting, you may suddenly find yourself with more support than you have had recently.

 

The reasoning behind this is that EPPE (and other) research shows that provision has to be of a good quality in order to make a difference in outcomes for children, particularly for the most disadvantaged children.