In June 2013, Sally Hughes was Principal at Krishna Avanti Primary School in Leicester. She talked us through the nailbiting moments which followed that most disquieting of calls.
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In May 2013 Krishna Avanti Primary School in Leicester received its first Ofsted inspection since it opened in 2011. The inspection lasted two days, conducted by one inspector.
This was my 8th Ofsted inspection since they first started in the late 1990s and my 5th as a Headteacher. Each time the bar is raised and expectations are higher. With each new Ofsted framework the process becomes increasingly rigorous.
We received the telephone call shortly after mid-day on Monday 13th May, giving notice that it would take place the following morning. I had just enough time to have a meeting with the Chair of Governors, send the necessary paperwork to Ofsted and hold a meeting with the staff.
Ofsted wants to see how well the school is doing and and if there are any weaknesses. They also want to find out if the leaders and managers of the school know how well the school is doing.
[quote]We received the telephone call shortly after mid-day on Monday 13th May, giving notice that the inspection would take place the following morning[/quote]
Ofsted judges 4 areas: teaching and learning, behaviour and safety of the pupils (very important aspects within this category are school attendance and spiritual and moral development of the pupils). It judges attainment of pupils and leadership and management of the school.
Fortunately I had prepared a very concise but informative Self Evaluation Form of the school, even though this is no longer a requirement by Ofsted.
The inspector arrived at school by 8am on the first morning. After looking at initial safeguarding documentation we had a long initial discussion of 1½ hours about the school. Then we carried out two lesson observations together. The inspector asked me what my judgements were on the lessons before he would assess them. Fortunately we agreed.
Later in the day he watched me give verbal feedback to the two teachers. Then he observed six more lessons himself. He met with a group of six children to ask them questions about school. In the afternoon he held a meeting with the Chair of Governors. He also met with the Senior Leadership Team. Just before he left he gave me an Interim Judgement. He left school at six o’clock on this first day.
At 8am he came back for the second and final day of the inspection. He spent this first part of the day interviewing parents in the playground, as they were bringing their children to school. He attended daily worship and then carried out more lesson observations and book trawls. He held a meeting with the business manager questioning whether the school was good value for money.
At mid-day he had a second meeting with the Chair of Governors and myself. By 2.30pm he fed back his final judgements to myself, the Chair of Governors and the Senior Leadership Team.
I was reassured by the extremely rigorous Ofsted process that my judgements on the Self Evaluation Form had been very accurate. The outcome of the inspection that Krishna Avanti Primary School is securely ‘Good’ is a very pleasing place for us to be, as the school is only in its second year. We are now all driven to move the school to ‘Outstanding’. Ofsted has told us clearly how this can be done and we know that we can do this!
