The Big 'o'

[mundia]

We've been waiting a long time and knew it was coming any time, and at last, we're to be 'done' on Monday and Tuesday. We've had the pre inspection brief thingy (whatever its called) and they have timetabled a 2hour slot for me (2 hours??) and the panic has now set in (I think I was Ok before they said two hours).

 

We know our starting point is very low..they want proof of that..think thats OK. We have also said they make good progress even though they dont achieve 6+in CLL esp writing and LSL. They want us to demonstrate how we can argue that they still make good progress. Then they want to know what we are doing about it, and how we can prove that what we are doing about it is making an impact. This is the bit I am a bit worried about, as many things you put in place (well I feel anyway) doesn't have an immediate impact but shows impact later on. Has anyone else had a similar brief and how did you talk through it? I'm trying frantically to think of every argument they might throw at me, and tying myself up in knots in the process.

 

I can feel a very busy weekend coming on..

[Marion]

Good Luck try not to work all weekend!

[hali]

oh mundia...how do you know they are coming thought they were unannounced now!!!!

 

good luck anyway we all look up to you im sure you will do really well

[Guest]

good luck i'm sure you will all be fine, get it over and done with, unlike us ... every setting in our town has been inspected recently apart from ours and one other... it's like we are dangling on a string.... and proper jumpy when the door bell goes!!!not to worry it keeps the staff on their toes!!

[shazzam]

dont worry it'll be fine, i take it you've been expecting it for a while so you probably have made sure your ready. we had one about 3 weeks ago and the inspector was human! good luck have faith in yourself.

let us know how you get on wont you!

[Susan]

Schools get 48 hours notice, Hali.

 

And its not necessarily an easy ride!

 

Good luck, Mundia.

[Rea]

I should think mundia that the progress, even if it cant be shown on paper is in the children themselves. You are an area of high EAL arent you? I would imagine if the children are listening, thinking and communicating in english the writing will follow.

 

I've just been reading more about Pestalozzi, so I'm really into the 'allow children to grow in the natural way as you would a plant' type thinking.

 

Good luck, we'll be thinking about you.

[SmileyPR]

Hi Mundia,

 

I agree with Rea. We don't use much paperwork with this age group, so they have to trust in your professional observations. Paperwork would be more for the writing part in their play areas or in more 'formal' teaching. If you keep a reading log for each child, that could be of help as well. But, if they don't achieve CLL 6+, then they might not be reading simple books at this moment.

 

Can they see a list of your children's basic information? Let's say, nationality/place of birth, languages, previous Pre-school experiences and where. This might give them a clearer view of the children's backgrounds. Also their ages.

 

I have a girl who just became 5 at the beginning of the school year. She had no English and now she is the most advanced, together with another boy, in reading and writing. Her receptive and expressive language have improved a lot, although you cannot expect it to be as that of a native speaker.

 

I also have two boys who are very young. One became 5 in April and one will do so now in May. One is a native English speaker and the other one not, yet had some English knowledge. The native speaker is slower than the non-native speaker in reading. He doesn't have brothers and sisters and the other one has four! But, he makes better use of his letter sound knowledge to write!

 

There are SO many factors that can affect a child's progress and every child is SO different!

 

Your planning also shows the progress they are making. We plan by their needs and their progress, so when they are ready for another step, that shows in your planning .

 

Trust in yourself, Mundia. You are a great teacher. They will see the progress your children have made since September, eight months is something .

 

Best wishes !

Edited May 19, 2007 by SmileyPR

[Sue R]

Hi mundia!

 

Everyone else has said it all, so I'll just send you a big virtual hug and my very best wishes. You're brilliant and I'm sure the Inspectors will soon realise this, and how well your children are actually doing.

 

Sue

[Guest]

Good luck Mundia.

[Guest Wolfie]

And the best of luck from me too, it'll soon be over!

[mundia]

thanks everyone. Looking at the PIB, Ive tried to cover all eventualities and have spent much of yesterday going over and over the data to justify why we score well in certain areas and don't in others. I have unpicked the points where we are scoring high, and those in which we are scoring low. I can explain what we are doing to improve standards as well as the work we have done to ensure that our judgments are more accurate. I have an inexperienced team and I can talk about all of their progress (they have less than 3 years experience between them!), how I support them in class, with planning etc. I really don't know what else I can do now....

 

Ive been through 3 OFSTEDs before including 2 in schools in special measures yet I dont remember panicking this much then.

[Beau]

Good luck Mundia, although I'm sure you won't need it. I can talk for Britain so 2 hours seems like a pitifully short time to me. Once you get into your stride and start to talk, you'll probably find the time flies by.

[HappyMaz]

Good luck - try not to work yourself up into a frenzy.

 

If I was you I'd be thinking that its only two hours out of my life, and that will pass quickly. I know its not as easy as that, but at least you know we're all routing for you!

 

Maz

[Guest]

sorry late reply for good wishes, thinking of you, but also sure you will be just fine. I do beleive that the big "O" are becoming more of a positive experience, judging from previous posts and my own experience.

 

Peggy

[mundia]

Haha Peggy, Ive been through 3 now and this is by far the worst...

 

I mean how DARE we actually read stories to the children and have the cheek to do it at 'playtime' too. Hanging offense that......

 

Sorry, just being err human, too upset and fuming to actually make any sense...

[Guest]

ooh, I'm really thinking of you now, you stick to your principles, and enjoy your stories, it will soon be over. What more can I say.......

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Oh Mundia, I'm sorry it's proving stressful! Hope tomorrow goes better and that you get some sleep tonight! Don't forget you can always move to Devon!

[Sue R]

Lots of good wishes and hopes for a more positive day!

 

Sue

[Rea]

Reading to children???? Blimey, glad I dont work at your school, outlandish ideas like that

 

Have a good day mundia. I bet if you've been through the mill they wont be back to you today, well here's hoping anyway

[JacquieL]

thinking of you and whishing them all gone. Er have a missed something as the thread seems to have lost a bit of continuity. How VERY dare they not want stories whenever they are told/read !!!

[SmileyPR]

They criticized you because you read stories to the children ?

Edited May 22, 2007 by SmileyPR

[Marion]

Hope today has been better Good Luck !!

[Guest]

How did it go?

[Guest Wolfie]

I was running some training this week and one of the people on the course said that she'd been on some other training recently - "Targeting Talk" - where she felt that one of the main messages had been that were spending too much time reading stories to children!!!

 

That really is very worrying isn't it!

[Guest]

I thought sharing stories with children was at the very core of what a good nursery/pre school should be doing.

Perhaps what they (Big O) don't like so much is when stories are just 'delivered' to children without allowing them to interact or respond that sometimes can happen when stories are only read during large group story sessions or to 'keep children in one area' whilst cleaning is carried out? (Not suggesting that anyone on this Forum does that)

I would have thought that spontaneous sharing of stories in the playground when the child has requested them, was the best time to be able to afford 1 to 1, or 1 to small group story time which should be most beneficial?

[SmileyPR]

Dear Mundia,

 

How are you doing? Hope everything is okay and that the Big O has been able to see how well you are working there. Do you get the time to discuss with them the points you don't agree with?

 

Best wishes!

[Guest Wolfie]

Couldn't agree with you more, Dasher!

[Rea]

How did it all go mundia? Books been banned yet ?

[mundia]

ah since you asked, Rea, you might have gathered from the other post not very well. I cant give out too much info but we were given notice to improve. As a school I really don't believe any of us could have worked any harder, I really don't, and although Ive successfully worked in 3 schools that have come out of special measures/serious weaknesses, Im still dumbstruck, flat and very miserable (as well as very cynical about the very subjective nature of it all).

 

Im still smarting after the reading comment but I will fight to the bitter end to retain the right to read and tell stories to children.