Sense and sensibility

Richard Hayward

18 AUG 2010, 08:54

7 min read

Mike Kent, a primary school principal, in the Times Educational supplement in an article titled “It’s Ofsted let’s bolt the door” said: “Inspecting every school regularly, and training (I use the word loosely) an army of inspectors, costs vast sums of money . . . I’ve endured four Ofsteds and been staggered at the lack of ability, sensitivity and knowledge shown by many inspectors. In my first, only one had any primary experience. Another inspection included a failed head. Criticising others was presumably much easier than doing the job himself.”

Teachers in England are highly critical of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). The criticism is about how inspections are done but not why there is a need to inspect schools. Quality-based organisations accept that evaluations help ensure that standards are being met.

Recommendations for the South African version of Ofsted (the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (Needu)) are:

Avoid the word “inspector”. In the history of our country, the word “inspector” evokes unpleasant memories. Think of Bantu education and the role of inspectors. They were meant to ensure compliance to regulations that ensured segregated schools and unequal educational opportunities. The word “inspector” can evoke extremely negative perceptions.

In quality management theory and practice, there’s been much progress beyond mere inspection.

Yes, there’s still the need to ensure compliance to basic requirements. There’s a need to ensure that quality is evident and of a high standard. Yet the assessor or evaluator shouldn’t be restricted to narrow prescriptions contained in manuals. Weak evaluation is characterised by an assessor being obsessed with rigid compliance. Excellent quality can be achieved when people are allowed to use their own initiative.

Be academically and professionally competent. Every member of a Needu team should have the academic grasp to be of meaningful help. Assessors should have a track record of outstanding professional achievement. If they are giving advice, they should speak from a position of personal experience.

Be emotionally intelligent. Teachers and school principals in Britain have been traumatised by Ofsted. There have been mental and physical health breakdowns as well as early retirements. Tragically, there have been suicides.

Any form of evaluation has an element of stress. Even the most dedicated and hard-working educators can have self-doubts about their abilities. Needu members need to be emotionally intelligent in their interactions. Be empathic, kind and sensitive. Read a person’s body language accurately. Know when to speak and when to remain silent.

Analyse data and documentation sensibly, not obsessively. Data provides much important information about a school and the district education department office. Scrutinise and analyse. An example is the attendance statistics of both learners and staff. The statistics will reveal trends and possible areas for improvement. Similarly, there is the need to scrutinise the results of standardised tests and matric results.

An outstanding school is not determined by the volume of its data and documentation. It should have sufficient written guidelines and policies to ensure that everyone knows how the school is meant to function. There’s enough detail, but not in mind-numbing quantities.

Remember: “What cannot be counted often counts the most!” Anthea Cereseto, headmistress of Parktown Girls’ High School in Johannesburg, repeated a famous epigram at their 2009 prize-giving ceremony. She reminded the audience of an Albert Einstein epigram in which he commented that sometimes the things that really count cannot be counted.

It’s relatively easy to assess, for example, the level of achievement of maths in a school by looking at the exam papers and assessing the students’ results. A quality school, however, is very much more than a set of good test results. Values such as caring, cheerfulness, honesty, kindness, perseverance and ubuntu are critical to such a school. Needu needs to be aware of these and other qualities when doing an assessment.

Be a critical friend. There’s no place for a “bully boy” or “bully girl” relationship between a Needu evaluator and a staff member. The relationship should be one of being a “critical friend”. Friends are positively disposed towards each other. They want their friends to achieve.
When a Needu assessor gives advice, it should reflect an understanding of what it’s really like in the everyday work situation.

Praise and motivate. Needu visits are excellent opportunities to say “Thank you”. Staff members need to be praised for their achievements. Remember to praise verbally in public. Don’t forget to include the positive comments in the written reports submitted after the visit.
Acknowledge achievements, but also motivate. Motivate staff to continue with their personal and professional goals.

Encourage initiative and innovation. A spirit of adventure should permeate the entire education system. Sadly, education is often viewed by outsiders as a conservative profession. Traditionally, adherence and conformity have been highly praised in the inspection system. We need, however, to congratulate those who go beyond the mundane and the ordinary. Not every new idea will be an instant success; most will need to be “tweaked” or some even discarded. What does it matter? Doesn’t true education develop creativity, individuality and the breaking down of uncritical, blind obedience?

Act decisively on poor quality. Evaluations will be meaningless if there is no follow-through when poor quality has been identified. Decisive, prompt action needs to be taken to help schools with poor resources. Unsatisfactory teachers need to be compelled to up their performance or go. The unit needs to have the clout to move quickly from assessment to meaningful action.
Under-performing schools could be placed in a South African version of a “special measures” programme. This programme would allow the unit to put improvement plans in place immediately. The school would have frequent evaluations. Once a school has attained a certain level of quality, it would be taken out of special measures.

Be a learner. Each school has something to teach every member of a Needu team — if their eyes and ears are open. Assessors are at schools not only to evaluate; they’re also there to identify best practice. Be open to new and better ways of doing things. When the assessor moves on to another school, he or she should share those learning experiences.

Focus on the people, not the paperwork. A quality school is a happy place. The children like an enjoyable, exciting and stimulating learning environment. Their parents appreciate the caring and sound education provided. The entire staff — administrative, maintenance and professional — like being in a place where their efforts are valued.

Needu members should aim to get the “feel” or “vibe” of the school. Don’t be obsessed with the paperwork. Chat to the children in the classroom and playground, observe the interactions, enjoy a joke (and tell one or two yourself!), watch a sports match or a cultural activity in the hall. Focus on the people and you’ll be able to assess astutely and wisely.

We’ve a long road to travel to create an excellent school system. Needu can make an enormously positive contribution. Yet we need to use Needu with sense and sensibility. There are pitfalls along the way in which school evaluations have been implemented elsewhere. May the South African version be a winning model that ensures quality education for all.

This revised article by Richard Hayward appeared in issue 13 of Quality Education News published in February by the South African Quality Institute