Hey there. Whilst away from work due to a serious case of the sniffles I found myself reminiscing about one of my many joyful moments from my recent ofsted inspection. Here I have written the transcript of a conversation I had with the lead inspector after a twenty minute lesson observation. See if you can guess the part where it began to dawn on me that the inspector was slightly insane and was not going to budge from her relatively fixed agenda.

Ofsted 

Did you see what happened in that lesson?

Head

I was there yes, I saw what happened.

Ofsted 

What happened?

Head

Were you there? I think you were there, I definitely saw you there.

Ofsted

But what did you see?

Head

I saw a lesson on measuring.

Ofsted

And what were the children doing.

Head

They were measuring the perimeter of irregular shapes and using their knowledge of shape properties to work out lengths of certain sides that weren’t known. Some of them were then converting into different units of measurement.

Ofsted

And could the children do it?

Head

They were having a jolly good go and many of them were being successful.

Ofsted

All the children I saw could do it.

Head

Great, teacher did their job then. Now next we’re going to see –

Ofsted

-they could all do it. I saw them do two in a row.

Head

Yeeesssss.

Ofsted

They could already do it.

Teacher

Well no, the teacher showed them how at the start of the lesson.

Ofsted

I didn’t see that

Head

No, you were finding one of your forms as the lesson started but her plan says she taught it and the work before was not the same and I asked some of the children if they had done it before and they hadn’t.

Ofsted

I heard you ask those questions. Why did you ask those questions, those questions won’t tell you anything.

Head

Sorry what?

Ofsted

I didn’t see anything that showed me they couldn’t do it before the lesson. Where was the challenge?

Head

Well, at the start of the lesson they probably couldn’t do it, that’s why the teacher taught them how to do it at the start of the lesson…that you didn’t see.

Ofsted

How do you know they couldn’t do it?

Head

They hadn’t done it before in their books and I asked them if they could have done it at the start; I asked if they needed to have listened to the teacher before having a go themselves or could they have just got on with it.

Ofsted

I heard you ask that. Why did you ask that question?

Head

Well, it helps me judge the level of challenge or if the teacher is wasting their time.

Ofsted

OK and what did the child tell you.

Head

She said that she may have been able to do the first two but after that she would have got stuck unless the teacher had showed them how. Then another child on their table agreed that number three was really hard.

Ofsted

Of course they said that to you because you’re the Head.

Head

Sorry come again?

Ofsted

They tell you want they think you want to hear. That’s why I don’t ask those questions.

Head

Hmmmmm. I’m not sure I agree with you on-

Ofsted

-I saw nothing but work done correctly during that lesson.

Head

Right…

Ofsted

No challenge, there was no challenge in that lesson.

Head

But, they couldn’t do it at the start and then the teacher taught them so they could and therefore they were able to do the work.

Ofsted

Why didn’t the teacher move them on.

Head

Because they had only been able to do it for twenty minutes I’m guessing the teacher thought a bit more consolidation could be a good idea. Plus on her plan she is extending them in the plenary and tomorrow they’re solving a problem.

Ofsted

Well I didn’t see that. I didn’t see any challenge so we have to say that lesson required improvement.

Head

Get out of my school. Get out of my school now or I will beat you to death with my pupil premium tracker that I was up all night amending and you haven’t even LOOOKED AT IT!

(I didn’t actually say that last bit, but the rest of it is true. If you’re waiting for Ofsted…enjoy!)