Page 14


Not making the grade


Ofsted’s new inspection framework has led to the Haringey Pupil Support Centre being downgraded unfairly, believes teacher Debbie Hamilton-Bogues.


The Haringey Pupil Support Centre (PSC) is an educational provision for 11- to 16-year-olds in the London borough who are permanently excluded from mainstream schools, or are at risk of exclusion. In a small minority of cases we also take young people who are described as ’hard to place’, meaning they are educated at the PSC until a place is found for them in a mainstream school.


Our young people have varying needs, from mild learning disabilities to more extensive social, emotional and behavioural challenges. We try to provide an atmosphere of trust and learning, offering them redirection and a second chance.


At the end of each school day we have briefing sessions led by one of the centre coordinators. One afternoon our Head Teacher commandeered the meeting and gently broke the news: “We will be ‘Ofsteded’ for two days next week.”


Most members of staff have been at the PSC for more than six years and had previous experiences of Ofsted inspections as a team. This time, however, we were going to be assessed under the inspectorate’s new framework, without having the desired ‘practice time’ to master the new demands. So we joined forces to improve on our previous performance.


Some of the newer members of staff were somewhat nervous and uncertain because this was their first experience of inspection. We reassured each other “we’re in this thing together”. We recalled the positive experiences of the last inspection, in which overall we were awarded a ‘good’.


The first inspection day was Tuesday and there were two inspectors. I was one of the first teachers to be inspected. The Lead Inspector and my Head Teacher took the seats I had prepared for them. I was delivering a lesson on the Indian poem Blessing from the AQA anthology. They looked, listened and took notes. After approximately 20 minutes, they rose and left. As the inspector exited, I glanced at him just in time to be given a thumbs-up.


On the second day, it was apparent that the presence of Ofsted was less daunting than we had feared. Even the young people were becoming comfortable with the inspectors popping in and out of lessons and were engaging in tête-à-têtes with them.


Under the new framework we realised the definition of ‘progress’ had assumed an extended meaning, to include how much progress pupils made in their learning, taking into account their starting point and capabilities. ‘Attainment’ is based on the results of tests and examinations, and ‘achievement’ takes into consideration the standard of attainment achieved by students and the progress made to reach the standards.


We were not able to fully satisfy these criteria, hence we were marked down. In our previous inspection, with the same staff, we were graded ‘good’. According to the result under the new framework, there was no progress from the previous inspection. In fact, it seemed as if we had declined in our practice. The content of feedback was more or less the same for all areas of teaching and learning, yet we were awarded lower grades.


For us, more time was needed to adopt and implement the new assessment criteria. The new framework combines learning and progress with attainment and the impact of day-by-day assessment and safeguarding, expanded to include social and academic guidance.


Nevertheless, for students’ behaviour, pupil safety, the adoption of healthy eating and the consistency in development in the spiritual, social and cultural growth, Ofsted awarded us ‘good’ – just as before.


It would appear that with the emphasis on test and exam results, the PSC will never achieve a ‘good’, let alone an ‘outstanding’. This is a consequence of the academic and behavioural challenges the young people bring with them to the centre – including irregular attendance.


It is my desire that one day challenging schools such as ours be assessed with an all-encompassing measurement befitting our type of school.


 


Debbie Hamilton- Bogues has taught at the Haringey Pupil Support Centre for six years. She is the English coordinator, with special interest in behaviour and assessment.

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