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PART TWO - COPING WITH THE INSPECTION PERIOD |
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1. Your school will
be informed four to 6 days before an Inspection takes place. The
Inspection will be two to three days in length. Most schools will be
inspected for two days. Lessons are Inspected the first day and morning
of the second. The afternoon of the second day will be set aside for
feedback to the Head Teacher and Senior Management team. The
few days before the Inspection will be stressful and you will be under pressure
especially if you have not prepared meticulously for it. Some Inspectors will be professional and pleasant, others will be officious and
distance themselves from departmental staff. |
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2.
It is common practice for the Inspectors to have meetings with Heads of
Department and Pastoral staff. Senior teachers will also be seen. In a specialist college the head of
department of the specialist subject will also be involved in one or more
of these meetings. Staff will be questioned about many aspects of the
schools policies and practices. This is to check that the self
evaluation (SEF) written by the Head Teacher is an accurate reflection
of the way the school is run. |
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3. The Inspection
of lessons will start on the first morning. A range of staff will be
observed throughout the Inspection period. Some staff will not be seen
at all. |
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4. When meeting
with the Inspector, a range of questions will be asked and it is our experience that exam
results will be central. In fact WATT researchers feel that exam results are the core
to the Inspection and if your departments results are poor or have fallen,
the department will have to fight hard for a good Inspection Report. Very
few departments that have results below the local/national average get a
good or very good report even if the quality of the teaching is good. Be ready for
this approach, which seems to target some departments. Have all your
statistical evidence ready for this meeting and be ready to explain your
answers in detail. |
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5. At the end of
the Inspection, the inspection Team will meet with the Head Teacher and
Senior Management and their Report will be delivered verbally. This is
expected to be a general report on the school, the accuracy of the Self
Evaluation Form completed by the Head Teacher and any other issues. The
Quality of Teaching will be summarised. |
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6. At the end of
the Inspection have an informal
meeting with the rest of the department and discuss any feedback given by
Inspectors as they viewed lessons. Give staff an opportunity to discuss
the Inspection. Often there
is a tendency at the end of an OFSTED week to try to forget the week but
take time to discuss it with staff and applaud all the good
points that have come out of the week. |
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FINAL ADVICE: Be
pleasant at all times to the Inspectors, be prepared, sit and talk to all the department at
the beginning and end of each day and be cooperative. Do not be in awe of
the Inspector (remember, he/she left the classroom for their present
position). |