Gone Sick

It's a tough time for teachers.


Any senior school in the England and Wales that has not opted for academy status will be under the OFSTED cosh. These schools will 'fail' every inspection until they 'get with the program'. Once the whole system is academised, pay and conditions for all teachers will enter a free market state. The government will reduce the money that schools receive, we will get education on the cheap. It will save the country a fortune, but cost us our key to national prosperity.


It's an interesting experiment. The sooner a school sells out to the academy status, the sooner they can begin to feather their own nests, before the gravy runs out.


The school I do cover in is in the invidious situation of being a bog standard state comprehensive, and as a result OFSTED have been in for the whole of this half term. That's because the school FAILED the last inspection - WHAT A SURPRISE! 


What does failure mean? Why are we haemorrhaging teachers so soon after they qualify? 


Imagine having to be ready to be watched, by a top boss, for the best part of an hour and then being asked to explain what you were doing and produce FULL DOCUMENTATION to support every word you say. Imagine that as a random event. They might walk in at any moment. You can't even book a holiday to evade the crushing pressure of it. You have to be there. They' know where you will be every moment of the day. The turn of the screw? They'll come in when you have a 'tough' class. WHY NOT?


THAT'S AN OFSTED.


Still, it all means more work for me.


With Christmas coming and teachers under this stress, they're dropping like flies.


If  I wanted a day off to get Christmas organised, in a school under these circumstances, I would be tempted to take a shopping/cooking day. I might even feel I had earned it.


EVEN THE GOOD GO SICK