'The question arose what would you call a group of incompetents? Easy, the unanimous opinion was, an Ofsted!' - Your Letters: September 1
PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: A visit by Prince Philip to Darlaston in 1980. The caption pasted on the back reads: ‘A smile from some of the pupils of Darlaston Comprehensive School, as they chat with Prince Philip.’ The print has a date stamp of March 14, which is likely to have been the publication date in the Express & Star.
AN OFSTED OF INCOMPETENTS
When I was teaching one of the topics that seemed to hold children's attention was collective nouns. You know; a charm of goldfinches, a pride of lions etc. I was chatting with a group of teachers the other day, some still working, some retired.
The question arose what would you call a group of incompetents? Easy, the unanimous opinion was, an Ofsted!!
I have been through several inspections conducted by their inspectors and I must confess that I did have one unsatisfactory lesson, I spelt Azztecks incorrectly.
Why this was a topic suitable for primary school history I have never understood considering the wealth of local and British history.
Anyway, I'm meandering. Initially the inspectors came from a multitude of disciplines.
They had little adequate training and were essentially tick box fillers. Their job was to report on the delivery of The National Recipe For Mediocrity, Sorry, The National Curriculum.
Little attention was paid to the ethos of the school or its socio-economic background.
Little or no credit was given to the hours of hardworking and commitment given by all of the school staff.
Unfortunately many heads and governing bodies are always pleased to plaster posters outside the school building boasting 'A Good School' or perhaps, 'Outstanding In All Areas'.
What rubbish - my estimation of a school plummets when I see these, especially when it can change to 'Needs Improvement' in a very short time, (rarely on display).
