Headteacher of Ashgrove School Ltd responds to Ofsted rating

Patricia Ash, headteacher of Ashgrove School Ltd, says that the report has caused her to experience “anxiety, difficulty in sleeping and a complete lack of self-worth.”

After inspecting the school, Ofsted evaluated it as “requiring improvement” after finding that subject planning lacked development and teachers did not outline what should be taught when, and in what order.

Ofsted inspectors found that behaviour and attitudes and personal development at the school were “good”, however, they found that the quality of education, and leadership and management required improvement giving the school an overall rating of “requires improvement”.

Ashgrove School, based on Widmore Road, has received this rating at its previous three inspections.

Patricia has compared the constraints that Ofsted puts on teaching as a “straitjacket” which favours a “robotic” style of teaching.

She said: “Many subjects were not observed at all throughout the short inspection and with extremely limited evidence these claims have absolutely no justification whatsoever. 

“Staff at Ashgrove are specialists who already have very strong subject knowledge, several teaching their subject up to and beyond A-level.

“Furthermore, these staff were appointed because of their originality resisting being moulded into ‘Ofsted’ straitjackets which stifles inspirational teaching. 

“They can and do manage their own CPD very well because they are professionals with a love of their subject.”

“Ofsted is wholly inflexible and incapable of recognising and celebrating individuality seemingly preferring ‘robotic’ style teaching with planning which can identify exactly what a child will be learning on any given day, month or year.

“Ofsted insisted on the inspection taking place despite knowing that the school would be closing in July, even the inspector was baffled.

“Furthermore, this grossly unjust report genuinely serves no purpose as there are no prospective parents but still it was published which for my part has caused anxiety, difficulty in sleeping and a complete lack of self-worth.

“Unlike Ruth Perry who sadly took her own life, I fortunately have a strong sense of self preservation.

“Nevertheless I, like many others, have suffered health issues at the hands of an organisation which is seemingly so tunnel-visioned it is incapable of thinking ‘outside the box’.

“Although I will continue to tutor in mathematics I am leaving Ashgrove happy in the knowledge that I will never have to deal with Ofsted ever again and I wonder how many good teachers have also left the profession feeling exactly the same as me.”

Patricia pulled out the following quotes from the report, arguing that the inspector did not observe enough classes and that these claims have no evidence.

• “In many subjects, pupils do not build up secure knowledge and understanding over time.”
• “Leaders must ensure that training leads to strong subject expertise that enable pupils to achieve well across all subjects.”
• “Pupils do not routinely build a deep knowledge.”
• “Staff’s subject expertise is not consistently strong across all subjects.”

She added: “Ashgrove opened in 1986, soon establishing itself academically, borne out by consistently excellent secondary transfer results year after year which can be viewed on its website. 

“The school, which closes in July, presently has just fourteen Year 6 children, 13 of whom took and passed the 11+ examinations gaining grammar school places at Newstead Wood, St Olave’s, Dartford Grammar Beths, Weald of Kent, Maidstone Grammar, Chatham Grammar and Skinners.

“Since the Ofsted report states that ‘The Quality of Education’ needs improving, I can only assume that these achievements are totally insignificant as far as the inspector is concerned.”