Inspectors Visit

Having promised myself that I would write regularly in my blog I have found or should I say allowed myself to be thwarted by circumstances which have interrupted my routine. The major one being the arrival of School Inspectors.

A few years ago the mere mention of the inspectors imminent arrival would have meant two sleepless nights and a feeling of fear in the pit of my belly. Not this time. I did work late both nights and ensure lessons were well prepared but I also slept extremely well and work refreshed each morning.

Why? Some people might suggest it is because I am a supply teacher now and not fully invested in the school. That would be quite unfair as I am a perfectionist which means despite the nature of my role I always give my best. I think in reality I’ve started to see inspections for what they really are. A game that you have no real chance of changing the outcome. You can dance to as many tunes as you want but the agenda doesn’t change. It’s all already agreed. The control is with them not with you. Even if you are graded outstanding, even if justifiably so, they are in charge of the outcome. Just one slip up in performance, one complaint, one controversial letter/decision as a head teacher and all your hard work can come tumbling down.

There is never an opportunity to breathe easy between inspections. You are always striving towards the next level of attainment or if you are deemed inadequate waiting for the next monitoring visit to be offered a crumb of encouragement that you might become good again!

Meanwhile who suffers. The pupils as they feast from the dull prescribed structure of lessons, marking rituals and continual after school revision sessions. As teachers lose the real essence of themselves, pupils lose the opportunity to have truly inspirational teachers who free from the shackles of performance driven targets would be able to design imaginative and creative lessons

We all remember that quirky teacher whose mannerisms intrigued us and lessons surprised us. I remember my teachers having time to relate their subject to real life experiences. My biology teacher telling me how she quit her first job in Science as the work was too precise for her clumsy hands. This was the woman who on entering the teaching profession later in life made it to Deputy Head within ten years. She taught me it was ok to change your mind, decide a job was not for you and to do what you enjoy. And what about my physics teacher who on finding that a group of pupils were trying levitation actually asked to see it being done rather than tell the pupils off for being silly! There was time for us to explore the world around us and to build relationships with those that taught us.

That time included going out on proper field courses. Five days in the Isle Wight for “O” level Geography and a few days at a field course centre for “A” Level Biology. There is no time now for such concentrated learning except in English, Maths and often sadly Science where pupils are truly brow beaten into submission. Collapsed timetable days are now an opportunity for Key Stage 4 pupils to spend all day completing controlled Science Assessments, revising Maths in preparation for the “third” mock paper this year or intensive study of Macbeth or whatever Shakespeare play that is on the syllabus. Gone are the opportunities to experience something new outside of the syllabus.

The worst thing is that the next generation are no longer being taught to be creative independent thinkers. Having worked in a sixth form I witnessed the aftermath of the this spoon-fed education. Jaded pupils who were already burnt out but now expected to spend 20 hours independent study a week. They have never had to study alone before and don’t have a clue where to begin.  Study leave in this part of the country at least has been replaced with mandatory school attendance between exams at GCSE in order to attend revision sessions where teachers ensure all pupils are prepared. Many have managed to achieve outstanding grades without the need to revise at home. No wonder so many struggle for the first few months. Some of you will say this is solely the fault of the secondary teachers but I kid you not if your job depended on your pupils achieving certain grades wouldn’t you want to remove any uncertainties about whether they are revising!

At school I don’t remember being given target grades although I knew my teachers expected great things. Grades for pieces of work carried minus and plus symbols. We all knew it was better to get B– rather than C++ for our work. We did get some written feedback but we weren’t made to respond, correct etc to show improvement. We knew explicitly that to show improvement our next piece of work should have a better mark.

Constantly sending in Inspectors to monitor professionals who work 60+ hours a week as part of their vocation is surely not a helpful exercise.  Support and constructive feedback would be more useful when a school is struggling.  Surely making decisions about the future of a school, changing the lives of 100+ staff, 1,000+ pupils, based on a 48 hour inspection is unfair and would not be accepted in the private sector.

Remember society has already invested heavily in our teachers. In this country you need a degree and qualified teacher status before you enter the classroom.  Quite rightly we worry about the plight of our doctors and nurses but spare a thought for those people who taught them so they could help us when we are sick. Trust these people, free them from the constant fear of continually changing goalposts and perpetual monitoring cycles and you will be surprised at what can truly be achieved when they become the teachers they came into the profession to be.