APPENDIX 8
Memorandum from Mr A Quinn (OAR 10)
Governement claims, on basis of improving OFSTED
reports, that standards in schools are rising are misleading.
The nature of inspections has changed.
The changes of 1998 led to less objectivity
by inspectors.
The largest single factor in this is the requirement
to feedback to teachers immediately after (or soon after) a lesson
is observed.
Many inspectors are now grading teaching higher
than they did previously because of the potential confrontation.
Much unsatisfactory teaching is now graded as
satisfactory.
The statistics of these higher teaching grades
thus recorded mean that other factors, such as pupils' progress,
attitude etc, have to be correspondingly raised to support the
inflated teaching grades.
Many anomalies in the first-hand evidence have
to be adjusted to make both the report and the profile in the
Judgement Recording Form (JRF) coherent.
The grades in the JRF reflect the adjustments
rather than the true picture in many cases.
OFSTED statistics depend on these inaccurate
grades in the JRF and are therefore flawed.
The objectivity of inspection can be restored
by an arm's length approach.
1. The requirements placed on inspectors
by the 1998 changes to procedures are quite unrealistic. This
has been made worse by the latest changes, as from January 2000.
There is simply not enough time to gather the excessive amount
of evidence expected. The number of criteria to be investigated
and judged is far too high. Sometimes in as little as two or three
days.
2. Too much time is spent observing lessons
and having to write extended Evidence Forms. This leaves insufficient
time to gather evidence from other sources, such as pupils' views,
a range of pupils' work etc. The time slot of 30 minutes allocated
to talking to pupils is too short, too formal and of little value
as the pupils are selected (and often briefed) by the school.
The samples of work are also selected by the school and inspectors
have about one hour to view up to 15 books in a typical High School,
more if there is a 6th Form.
3. There is little opportunity to triangulate
evidence. Most of it depends on what is reported to inspectors
by teachers and is simply restated by inspectors as evidence,
without corroboration.
4. Unless the procedures of inspections
allow inspectors to keep a professional distance from what they
are required to observe, and so keep an objectivity in their work,
the system will remain flawed. If inspectors get too involved
in discussion and exchanges, the process becomes too subjective
and, human nature being what it is, judgements become less hard-nosed
and less accurate.
Mr A Quinn
February 2000
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