40% outstanding...

Here is another companion piece to my post: A Tale of Two Ofsteds from a few months back. Another twist/turn from the school I once worked at; it deserves a mention. That Ofsted inspection is the gift that keeps on giving…

Website

Imagine my surprise at hearing that the head of the school where I had my first nervous breakdown, was gaslit and lied to for months, has claimed on the establishment’s website that it is outstanding! 

Of dodgy banners

Oh, and had two banners hung outside the school making the same claim.

At least the banner states the two actual areas the school got outstanding for underneath the mahoosive outstanding. 

However, I think you will agree that anyone who sees it will presume that the school got a fully outstanding rating. Most people are not fully aware that the one word judgment went out the window last September. The head is exploiting the removal of single judgments... by giving a single judgment, and thereby misrepresenting Ofsted. 

If you’re ambling by/driving past, the likelihood is that the small print won't even register. 

The single addition of the preposition ‘in’ would suffice to redress the situation: outstanding in behaviours (sic) and attitudes & in personal development.

Of dodgy flyers

Oh, and another thing, before I forget: flyers echoing this ‘judgement’ were also made available locally. I will not include a copy here for obvious reasons, but it is a very colourful pamphlet: full of praise for the school (well, its facilities really) and again highly unclear that it did not get an overall grading of outstanding.

These banners and flyers must have cost a pretty penny...

The facts

Anyway, let's be factual here: the school got outstanding in two areas out of five: 

This obviously does not make the school overall outstanding. There is no mention that it is merely '40%' outstanding: it is not in any way clarified. I have on a couple of instances been awarded the status of 'local legend' on Strava (the running app I use). Does this now make me eligible for Team GB? 

Also, as previously discussed, the report in itself is fairly lacklustre. So much can be read between the lines. Anyone who has worked in a school can understand the inferences – and appreciate what is missing (especially, in this case, positive references with regard to leadership).

Talk about taking liberties with the truth: ruddy unbelievable.

As another friend put it: it's murky because of the lack of overall judgement. But it's quite something to claim a blanket 'outstanding' rating when you are really only 2/5 outstanding!

Best case scenario: big time omission and plain wrong. Worst case scenario, well... 

To add insult to injury, the note from the head also invites parents/carers to come to see this ‘outstanding’ establishment for themselves. Surely false advertising?

Same as it ever was...

It's yet another instance of unscrupulous behaviour which will doubtless be ignored and brushed aside, just like all the others that I have written about over the years. The way this school is run is questionable to put it mildly.

Pushing the appearance of ‘outstanding’ is a desperate act, petulant and entitled, and of course it won’t be the last.

Could it be that the school is undersubscribed, maybe even still losing pupils?

ADDENDUM: On 20/06/25, the website was amended to clarify that the school was not outstanding per se, but specifically in the two areas mentioned above…