I recently got this message from a headteacher:
‘We are a school that has moved from Special Measures to Requires Improvement in 11 months.
All indicators suggest we will be good however I am not aiming for Good for Ofsted. I want an outstanding provision for our students and any CPD that makes us think about this is going to be highly beneficial.’
It makes me smile. A lot.
I think ‘Yes!’.
That’s a hard target to go for.
We know that.
But the aspiration is there.
And it makes me think of something another head I adore, Jo, says:
It seems impossible until it’s possible.
It does.
But it is possible.
I’ve seen it many times:
- Outstanding for children, not for Ofsted.
- Outstanding despite the odds.
And on that note I’d like to give a shout out to Stephen, Nuala and the team at St John Vianney RC Primary School in Tottenham who were judged outstanding in February. My team had the honour of working with them to get their vision, values and cultural eco-system in place during Covid.
‘It was such a worthwhile process to go through (although the circumstances, as you say, tested us all!)…It was a rare opportunity to reflect on our values together and for a sustained period.
Nice to see the work we did being referenced in the Ofsted report too!’ – Stephen, Headteacher
https://www.st-johnvianney.haringey.sch.uk/
If this email resonates with you.
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Spotlight Resource
There are a lot of myths about ‘outstanding’ schools. I put 5 myths to the test in this special report: