Teacher and parent voices can make a big change with Ofsted

Filling in Ofsted questionnaires can feel like lip service, but you might be surprised by what improvements your views can bring

There was a time when all inspection questionnaires – for parents, staff and pupils – were paper and piles of the stuff would rapidly build up, even in small schools. At one stage Ofsted had people to tackle this administrative mountain, logging responses and crunching numbers. It was all important work, but the paper system had its disadvantages. I’ll never forget the time we walked into a headteacher’s office just as he was shredding the ‘negative’ parental questionnaires. The excuse that the Y4 hamster was running short of bedding did not impress. Then there was the time when, looking a some pupil questionnaires, I noticed all of the responses were identical, including the assertion, complete with incorrect spelling, that ‘I enjoy leaning’. My suspicions were confirmed when a child asked, “Did you read the stuff we copied yesterday for Ofsted?”

With the introduction of ‘Parent View’, the parental questionnaire went online. A good idea, but response rates are often low; results are not displayed at all until there are at least 10 responses, and even where the number is greater than 10 it may only represent a small proportion of the parent population. As one headteacher said to me, “We’ve got 11 responses. Nine of those parents are really delighted. The other two are parents who are annoyed with our decisions – hence the 20 per cent who would not recommend the school to another parent”. And let’s face it, there’s always someone with an axe to grind; out of the hundreds of inspections I’ve been involved with over the years, I can’t remember a single one where 100 per cent of the responses were entirely positive, even in the most fantastic schools. However, where there is a good response rate and a relatively high proportion of negatives, it does suggest that there may be an issue that needs following up – even if this is just that the school could strengthen its relationship with parents.

Personally, I would strongly recommend that schools do all they can to encourage parents to complete the Parent View questionnaire – but there are opportunities well beyond this. I’m interested to see any sort of parental feedback at all, including the school’s own surveys.

In my experience, the vast majority of staff questionnaires were also positive, with staff typically ticking the ‘agree’ box for most statements: ‘I am proud to be a member of staff at this school’; ‘Leaders do all they can to improve teaching’, and so on. Those who declared themselves as senior leaders would usually tick ‘strongly agree’ for ‘The school is well led and managed.’

However, there have been some occasions – admittedly, very few – when the responses to the staff questionnaire have turned out to be a vital source of evidence. In one school, almost all of the staff responses were negative, some with extensive accounts of alleged bullying by senior staff. This did help to explain the incredibly high turnover of staff and the rather downbeat atmosphere. In another school, five negative responses to the statement, ‘Children are safe in this school’ pointed us in the right direction and enabled us to resolve an important and sensitive issue. Teachers often ask if it’s really worthwhile completing these questionnaires; do inspectors really take any notice? They certainly do. I urge all staff to complete the questionnaires and be as honest as possible.

From last November, staff questionnaires have gone online. Some of the old questions are still there but new ones have been added. ‘Do you feel well supported working in the school? Are staff treated fairly and with respect at this school?’ All important stuff – but the question that says the most to me in terms of Ofsted’s current outlook on teaching and learning is ‘Have leaders created a climate in which teachers are trusted to take risks and be innovative in ways that are right for the pupils?’ For those leaders who are worried about deviating too far from formulaic teaching, I hope that this will persuade them to take that leap of faith with staff. And I genuinely hope that you, personally, would be able to answer this question in the affirmative.

Julie’s book is Self-propelled learning and effective teaching is available on Amazon. 

About the author

Julie Price Grimshaw is a teacher, teacher trainer, and education consultant (selfpropelledlearning.co.uk
). She has been involved in school inspections since 2001.