EdMashUK

Ban for teacher who spent two years trying to woo pupil, 15

Telegraph Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:42 -0600

A geography teacher has been banned from teaching indefinitely after she "romantically pursued" a pupil for almost two years.

Summer-born children, sex education and school swimming: research in brief

Emma Drury — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 -0600

Our weekly round-up of the latest research papers, methods and ideas related to teaching and learning

Future of school swimming

More than 1.1 million primary school children will start their half-term holidays being unsafe around water, a new report claims.

The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), the governing body for the sport, surveyed 3,501 primary schools in England for its report and found that more than half (51%) of key stage 2 children were not able to swim one length of a standard (25 metres) pool unaided.

The report, the largest ever investigation into the state of school swimming, also found that the average state school pupil spends just eight hours and 15 minutes each year having swimming lessons at school – less than the national curriculum recommendation of 22 hours.

The ASA report shows almost 45% of schools stated the biggest barrier to delivering better quality school swimming was budget constraints.

This September, each primary school will receive a minimum of £9,000 additional ring-fenced funding as part of the government's £150 million injection into school sport. The ASA is calling for curriculum swimming and water safety to be a priority for this funding, with schools that are not currently meeting the statutory requirement to ensure that every child has the opportunity to swim 25 metres by the time they leave primary school.

Summer-born children

The issue of summer-born children having a lower academic attainment than their older classmates has been the subject of countless studies and theories. Growing evidence suggests that the month in which a child is born matters for a range of skills and behaviours and can have an effect on self-esteem and a child's confidence in its own ability within class.

New research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that attainment is predominantly to do with the age a child takes a test.

The authors of When you are born matters: evidence for England suggest that UK national test scores could therefore be age-adjusted to allow for this or the child would sit the test at a particular age rather than on a particular date. However, it points out that this would not help problems that summer-born children face, such as engaging in risky behaviour, such as underage smoking.

Compulsory sex education call

Calls are being made for sex and relationship education to be made compulsory in secondary schools, following a new report.

The report, from the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition, whose members include Amnesty International and Refuge, assessed the government's pledge to prevent violence against women and girls. It says that the Department for Education (DfE) is failing to take action to protect children and shape positive attitudes to women and more needs to be done to promote a solid campaign in schools.

The report asks for a number of measures to be implemented by the DfE including making it a legal obligation to teach children about sexual consent and respectful and equal relationships and also to make it law for schools to collect data on assaults. The report also highlights the needs for ongoing training for teachers to allow them to spot and respond appropriately to any signs of abuse.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.SchoolsTeachingEmma Drury
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Children's Commissioner: pupils 'raised on a diet of porn'

Graeme Paton — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:28 -0600

A generation of children are developing permissive attitudes to sex and viewing women as objects after being raised on a "diet of pornography", a major study has found.

Employers warned against giving jobs to unpaid interns

Graeme Paton — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:28 -0600

Top companies should ignore unpaid internships and degree classifications during the recruitment process to create a "level playing field" for applicants from poor backgrounds, a Government-backed report has recommended.

Protect children from internet pornography, report demands

Alexandra Topping — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:08:24 -0600

Report finds evidence of a high correlation between exposure to violent and sadistic images and behaviour

Children are exposed to violent and sadistic imagery which risks distorting their attitudes towards relationships and sex, according to the children's commissioner for England.

A report released on Thursday by the commissioner's office found that children who watch pornography are more likely to develop sexually risky behaviour and become sexually active at a younger age.

It called for urgent action to "develop children's resilience to pornography" after discovering that a significant number have access to sexually explicit images. It also called on the Department for Education to ensure all schools delivered effective relationship and sex education, including how to use the internet safely.

"We are living at a time when violent and sadistic imagery is readily available to very young children … even if they do not go searching for it, their friends may show it to them or they may stumble on it while using the internet," said the commissioner, Maggie Atkinson.

"For years we have applied age restrictions to films at the cinema but now we are permitting access to far more troubling imagery via the internet. It is a risky experiment to allow a generation of young people to be raised on a diet of pornography."

The report, based on a review of academic research, also found that pornography could influence children's sexual attitudes, foster a negative attitude towards relationships and lead them to engage in risky behaviours such as unprotected anal sex, sex at a younger age and the use of alcohol and drugs during sex.

Sue Berelowitz, the deputy children's commissioner, said compulsory education was the only way to ensure children were guarded "against the possible impact of pornography on them and their relationships". She said: "As part of our inquiry into the sexual exploitation of children in gangs and groups we have seen that young perpetrators of sexual abuse describe their activity as 'like having been in a porn film'. This report provides the evidence to support there being a high correlation between exposure to pornography and it influencing children's behaviour and attitudes."

Miranda Horvath, senior lecturer at Middlesex University, which led the review of academic evidence, said: "When pornography is discussed, it is often between groups of people with polarised moral views on the subject. Rather than adopting a particular ideological stance, this report uses evidence-based research to draw its conclusions and further the debate."

The report's recommendations echo calls made by the End Violence Against Women coalition to make sex and relationships education compulsory in secondary schools. A recent survey by the National Association of Head Teachers found many parents believe schools should teach about the dangers of pornography as soon as children are old enough to use the internet.

Sex educationPornographyInternetSchoolsAlexandra Topping
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Survey finds today's university students are anxious to find alternative soci...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:57 -0600

The class of 2013 are a sober bunch - anxious to escape from the clutches of alcohol while socialising at university, a survey out today finds.

Nursery reforms could cut childcare costs by 28%, DfE calculates

Patrick Wintour — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:07:18 -0600

New calculations released by Department for Education will boost those seeking to push stalled plans through

The cost of childcare could be cut by as much as 28% if the government was to go ahead with stalled plans to raise ratios of children to staff in nurseries.

Government plans are currently stalled due to a disagreement within the coalition between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

The new calculations released by the Department for Education under a freedom of information request said parent costs could be cut from £4 an hour to £3.49 an hour (a 12% cut) while teacher salaries could go up. Alternatively, if the extra revenue was used solely to reduce costs for parents, this could yield costs savings for parents of up to 28%.

Conservative ministers had been hoping to relax staff-child ratios by September, but Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, vetoed the plans saying he thought the proposed ratio changes would lower the quality of childcare. Conservatives are likely to use the figures to show they have been on the side of parents and choice, but are being blocked by the Liberal Democrats.

Department estimates suggest that if legal ratios for under-threes rose from four children for each member of staff to six and increased from a ratio of one to eight to one to 13 for staff looking after over-threes, the number of full-time places could be expanded by 52% to 73.

This increase in places creates a gross additional revenue of around £200,0000 based on the nursery charging £4 an hour. Even assuming the setting required the employment of a graduate, revenue would rise by £166,0000. Distributing this over 73 childcare places for 52 weeks a year and 39 hours a week the nursery could maintain its revenues and reduce its fees from £4 an hour to £2.88 an hour, a reduction of 28%.

The figures are bound to be raised by allies of the education secretary, Michael Gove, and the children's minister, Liz Truss, to show that parents are being denied a large-scale cut in their childcare costs by Liberal Democrat objections.

It is not yet clear if the plans can be revived, but Gove has acknowledged that his plan to introduce the changes by September are looking hard to implement. He claimed that Clegg had vetoed the plans because he was worried he was about to be challenged for his party leadership by the business secretary, Vince Cable.

The Daycare Trust earlier this year showed nursery costs rising while wages are stagnating: it found average childcare costs were increasing by more than 6% a year (more than double the rate of inflation).

After-school care costs more than a family holiday to Florida and the costliest nurseries are more expensive than top public schools.

ChildcareChildrenMichael GoveEarly years educationPatrick Wintour
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US graduation season 2013: the best commencement speeches

Ruth Spencer, Kayla Epstein — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:40:00 -0600

Joe Biden, Michelle Obama and Stephen Colbert are just some of the heavy-hitters speaking at college graduations this year

Every year around this time, clusters of newly minted "adults" in caps and gowns sit like sponges, soaking up the wisdom that booms from the front of the auditorium:

"Parents, friends, distinguished guests, graduates of the class of 2013 …"

So begins the commencement speech, a tradition at college and university graduations around the US. They can be boring, they can be painfully sincere, and they can also be the stuff of legend. Nearly 10 years after David Foster Wallace presented This is Water at Kenyon College, the speech was transformed into a short film and went viral.

Last year had some pretty powerful speeches, and 2013 is off to a pretty good start. Navigate this list to see who's taken a turn at the podium so far:

Week one:

* Joe Biden
* Michelle Obama (Round One)
* Julie Andrews
* Nate Silver
* Neil deGrasse Tyson
* Bill Clinton
* Melinda Gates

Week two

* Barack Obama
* Michelle Obama (Round Two)
* Cory Booker
* Stephen Colbert
* Arianna Huffington

Vice-president Joe Biden, University of Pennsylvania, 13 May: 'I'm not making this up'

Say what? "There will be no U-Haul truck behind my casket."
Quotes: Steve Jobs.
Theme: Hard to pin down. The veep's speech touched on pretty much everything: immigration, gay rights, climate change, the economy, technological innovation, women's rights, Vietnam, China's expansion and the war in Iraq.
Humor: Five-star. By far the funniest of the recent commencement addresses.
Advice: "I have gained too much wisdom to offer any advice."
Best line: "Don't listen to the cynics. They were wrong about my generation and they were wrong about yours."

Michelle Obama, Eastern Kentucky University, 11 May: 'We're all called to serve'

In her first of three commencement speeches this year, Flotus urged graduates to go out and find students with different systems of belief. "If you're a Democrat, spend some time talking to a Republican," Obama told about 600 education, business and technology graduates last weekend. "And if you're a Republican, have a chat with a Democrat. We know what happens when we only talk to people who think like we do. We just get stuck in our ways."

Julie Andrews, University of Colorado, 10 May: 'When adversity hits, go out and learn something'

Say what? "When I was driving in from the airport, I wanted to get out of the car, go over to a grassy knoll and do my signature turn from the Sound of Music."
Quotes: TH White
Theme: The importance and power of the arts.
Humor: 2/5.
We learned: Andrews never finished high school and she also never went to college.
Applause: Loud.
Surprise: Many more sound of music references than we had anticipated.
Best line: "So congratulations, dear students. These hills are truly alive with the graduating class of 2013."

Nate Silver, Ripon College, 12 May: 'You're entering a world awash with data and statistics'

Say what?: "By election day last year, more people were Googling my name than the vice-president's".
Quotes: Various articles written about himself.
Theme: "The theme of this presentation is data and decisions."
Humor: 2/5.
Advice: "Accountability doesn't mean apologizing. It means learning from your mistakes and changing your behavior next time around."
We learned: "The trees are just the right size at Ripon".
In a word: Literal.
Applause: He doesn't stop talking for long enough to hear any.
Most similar to: One of his columns read aloud.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rice University, 11 May: 'America has lost its exploratory compass'

The popular astrophysicist's powerful speech focused on space funding. He spoke of the current state of space exploration and told the new graduates that the future of the industry is in their hands.

"You know why [private enterprise] can't lead it? Because space is expensive, it's dangerous and it has unquantified risks. You put all three of those under one umbrella – it cannot establish a capital market valuation of that exercise."

Bill Clinton, Howard University, 11 May: 'You must feel empowered'

Say what? "I am well aware that the commencement speech is the least important part of this day."
Quotes: The Quran, The Bible, The Dhammapada.
Theme: What we have in common is more important than our difference.
Humor: 3/5.
We learned: At Clinton's Georgetown graduation, a hard rain cut the mayor's commencement speech short. "Congratulations. If we don't get out of here we're all going to drown", he said.
Applause: The man can work a crowd.
Surprise: Addressed the student debt crisis (briefly).
Best line: "Creative co-operation works better than constant conflict and we forget that at our peril."

Melinda Gates, Duke, 12 May: 'Reject the cynics'

Quotes: Martin Luther King Jr.
Theme: The possibilities of human connection.
Humor: 0.5/5
We learned: In the 1970s, Duke University used to "grow" mutant frogs in the science building.
In a word: Sincere.
Applause: Rare.
Best line:

I don't want you to connect, for connection's sake alone. I want you to connect because it will inspire you to do something. To take action. To make a difference in the world. Humanity in the abstract will never inspire you the way meeting another human being will. Poverty is not going to inspire you to do something, but meeting people – that will inspire you.

Barack Obama, Morehouse College, 19 May: 'Along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities'

Say what? "Some of you are graduating summa cum laude. Some of you are graduating magna cum laude. I know some of you are just graduating, 'thank you, Lordy.' That's appropriate because it's a Sunday."
Quotes: Benjamin Mays, former president of Morehouse; Martin Luther King.
Theme: Using education to improve community and society; the government's ability to improve the lives of its citizens; the importance of personal responsibility.
Humor: 4/5, with most zingers coming right off the top.
Advice: "Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves."
Applause: Of course.
Best line:

"I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do."

Michelle Obama, Bowie State University, 17 May: 'Be an example of excellence for the next generation'

Say what? "I just wish I could sing. Can't sing a lick."
Quotes: Frederick Douglass, Alice Walker, the Bowie State University school song.
Theme: Overcoming adversity through education.
Humor: 2/5.
Advice: "Be an example of excellence for the next generation and do everything you can to help them understand the power and purpose of a good education."
Applause: Frequent – and at all the points, the speech was designed to elicit them.
Best line:

"... Be that flame of fate, that torch of truth to guide our young people toward a better future for themselves and for this country."

Cory Booker, Yale College, 19 May: 'Be love, be kindness, be justice'

Say what? "That is not Darth Vader's hat, that is Boba Fett for crying out loud!"
Theme: The importance of learning from your darkest moments, and always practicing compassion.
Humor: 3/5
Advice: "Most of all, be kind."
Applause: A fair amount.
Best line:

"Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says 'I must keep going.' It's that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final – that voice that says to you: 'Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit."

Stephen Colbert, University of Virginia, 18 May: 'This is an impressive institution because it rejected my application'

Say what? "As has been stated before, the most impressive ranking of all has once again has to be Playboy naming you the number one party school in America. Now to be clear, I only read Playboy for the rankings."
Quotes: UVA founder President Thomas Jefferson.
Theme: The need for this generation to forge its own path to success.
Humor: 5/5
Advice: "If you must find your own path, and we have left you no easy path, then decide now to choose the hard path that leads to the life and world that you want. And don't worry if we don't approve of your choice."
Applause: A ton, but this was outnumbered by the laughs.
Best line:

"While traditional paths may seem harder to find, that also means that you will learn the hard lesson sooner than most generations that you must always make the path for yourself."

Arianna Huffington, Smith College, 19 May: 'Lead the third women's revolution'

Say what? "Congratulations. You have reached the light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm sure that when you first arrived at Smith four years ago you never would have imagined that at the other end of that tunnel would be a lady behind a podium talking to you in a funny accent."
Quotes: Archimedes, the Founding Fathers, Dr Seuss.
Theme: The need for today's women to redefine success.
Humor: 5/5
Advice: Get some sleep. Seriously.
Applause: Frequent.
Best line:

"Remember that while there will be plenty of signposts along your path directing you to make money and climb up the ladder, there will be very few signposts reminding you to stay connected to the essence of who you are, to take care of yourself along the way, to reach out to others, to pause to wonder, and to connect to that place from which everything is possible."

GraduationJoe BidenMichelle ObamaNate SilverUS educationBarack ObamaStephen ColbertArianna HuffingtonCory BookerRuth SpencerKayla Epstein
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Suli Breaks: The secret of success? Forget exams – it’s all about getting the...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:23:15 -0600

In amongst videos of cats annoying their owners and trailers for the latest Ryan Gosling movie, a five-minute précis on the state of education does not stand out as an obvious YouTube hit – even if it is recited atop John Murphy’s “Adagio in D Minor” from the soundtrack to the sci-fi movie Sunshine.

CBI: opposition from heads 'damaging Gove's education reforms'

Graeme Paton — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:17:03 -0600

The Coalition's education reforms risk collapse because of a lack of support from head teachers, the chief of Britain's leading business organisation has warned.

Leading headteacher: Michael Gove 'chickening out' on return of grammar schoo...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:30:59 -0600

One of the country's leading headteachers is to accuse Education Secretary Michael Gove of “chickening out” of bringing back a return to grammar schools.

Academy 'superhead' spent £30,000 on birthday party, hotel bills and travel

Telegraph reporters — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:55:27 -0600

An Academy "superhead" who was awarded a CBE spent £30,000 of public money on a lavish 50th birthday party, meetings in five-star hotels and taxi journeys to The Ivy.

Research in brief – 23 May 2013

Claire Shaw — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:48:00 -0600

Our weekly round-up aimed at showcasing the latest research across the subject spectrum at UK universities

Science and technology

• Surrey and UCL universities
Research finds the biological function of sleep is to allow for vital repair and maintenance of the cells in our brain, called neurons. The findings show these repair functions can only occur if the rest periods of individual neurons are aligned at a specific time scale. Vladyslav Vyazovskiy, lecturer in sleep and chronobiology at Surrey, says: "We have billions of neurons in our brain, and each of them is connected with thousands of other neurons that are constantly talking to each other and exchanging information. It appears that our neurons cannot rest and repair themselves independently; they have to all shut down at the same time so as not to disturb each other and allow each individual cell in our brain to obtain the rest it needs." Vyazovskiy adds: "If neurons attempt to obtain rest while we are awake, it is not only much less efficient, but also affects our performance negatively. On the other hand, under certain conditions some areas of our brain may be unable to fall asleep and remain in a local wakefulness state, resulting in us experiencing a very bad nights sleep".

• University of Cambridge
Research has established how a malfunction in protein molecules can lead to the onset of dementia. Scientists have been able to map in detail the pathway that generates "aberrant" forms of proteins which are at the root of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's. They believe the breakthrough is a vital step closer to increased capabilities for earlier diagnosis of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and opens up possibilities for a new generation of targeted drugs. The research is likely to have a central role to play in diagnostic and drug development for dementia-related diseases, which are increasingly prevalent and damaging as populations live longer. Dr Tuomas Knowles, says: "There are no disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer's and dementia at the moment, only limited treatment for symptoms. We have to solve what happens at the molecular level before we can progress and have real impact."

Arts and humanities

• University of Manchester
A three-year project to digitise over 200,000 documents produced by one of the most prolific Christian thinkers of the past 200 years has been launched. John Henry Cardinal Newman's handwritten archive, kept at the Birmingham Oratory, will be captured and re-housed by a team of experts and transformed into a comprehensive digital library. Father Ignatius Harrison, the provost of the Birmingham Oratory, says: "Cardinal Newman's long life of ministry and scholarship left a deep mark on the national consciousness of Britain, transforming its ecclesial, devotional, intellectual, and popular identities in ways we are still only beginning to understand. Through his prolific and widely influential writings and his example of practical holiness, Newman also left a deep and lasting impression on the non-English-speaking world." Mary Jo Dorsey from the National Institute for Newman Studies says: "An important goal of the digital library is to not only preserve and extend the Newman Archive to scholars around the globe, but to build a multidimensional research tool for the humanities. So we are delighted that the project will bring his teachings to the community of Newman scholars as well as to today's pluralistic, diverse society."

• De Montfort University
The friary in which Richard III's body was buried has been digitally re-created more than 500 years after it was razed to the ground. PhD student Asem Al Bunni's reconstruction of the nave, choir and steeple allows people to get an idea of how large the church would have been in Leicester – a possible indication of its importance in the city at that time. Critical discussion and further research work is now being carried out on what parts of the friary may have looked like – such as the great cloister, guest house, chapter house and dormitories. Dr Douglas Cawthorne, principal lecturer of DMU's digital building heritage team, says: "In this respect one of the initial things that strikes you about the building is its size. This was not a small church. It would have towered over the contemporary medieval buildings in the area in a way which is perhaps under-appreciated and would also dominate those adjacent to it today. There is much more to discover about the design of Greyfriars church in Leicester and it's a fascinating architectural piece in the historical mosaic of an important part of English history."

Social science

• Imperial, Leeds and Durham universities
Big business could learn survival lessons from family businesses according to new report. Family businesses are usually made up of a well functioning and diverse board of directors who are able to advise effectively, so are less likely to fail compared to big businesses. Professor Nick Wilson from Leeds University says: "This is one of the first studies to identify the board and ownership structure of private family firms in the UK and to track their survival rates relative to other firms". The researchers found that family businesses were less likely to go bankrupt because they are able to recruit and maintain an experienced, diverse and knowledgeable board of directors. The team also found that 80% of family owned businesses are more gender balanced, having at least one female director. Professor Mike Wright, at Imperial College Business School, says: "Running a successful business of any size is no easy task and this year we have already seen some high-profile businesses such as Comet being forced to close. Family businesses could provide lessons to larger firms, as our findings show that a more diverse and experienced board of directors, which are prevalent in family firms, could be related to reducing failures in businesses."

• University of Liverpool
Researchers have developed a smart phone app that helps users lose weight by carefully recording their food consumption. The team conducted a feasibility study using the app with 12 overweight and obese participants. They found that over a four week period the average weight loss of the participants was 1.5kg. Dr Eric Robinson who developed the app says: "Raising awareness of eating and weight loss achieved suggest this approach could be fruitful. The 1.5kg average weight loss observed is similar to a recent more intensive two month trial which investigated the impact of dietary/exercise advice and habit formation. Given that our trial was a very brief intervention with little contact time and no nutritional advice or support, this is a promising finding. Results suggest that a simple smartphone based intervention based on these principles is feasible and could promote healthier dietary practices."

And finally

• St Georges's University of London
Rethinking treatment goals improves results for 'untreatable' anorexics, research shows. Patients with the most severe and dangerous form of chronic anorexia are more likely to make a significant improvement towards recovery and stay in therapy if traditional psychological treatments are re-focused from weight gain to quality of life issues. By focusing treatment on quality of life, researchers found that 85% of participants with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) completed their course of treatment – almost three times the usual retention rate. These findings are the first to show that people with SE-AN can be treated with an outpatient treatment programme. Professor Hubert Lacey from St George's, says: "Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, and patients with SE-AN are notoriously difficult to treat. These findings challenge the view of some NHS services that individuals with an enduring course of anorexia have little or no motivation to change or are unlikely to respond to conventional psychosocial treatment."

Would you like your university's research featured on the network? Email claire.shaw@guardian.co.uk with your latest news

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ResearchAcademicsHigher educationResearchArts and humanitiesSocial sciencesScienceUniversity of SurreyUCL (University College London)University of CambridgeUniversity of ManchesterDe Montfort UniversityImperial College LondonDurham UniversityUniversity of LiverpoolSt George's, University of LondonClaire Shaw
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More than 300,000 children missing school every day

Graeme Paton — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:14:14 -0600

The number of children skipping school each day has jumped by more than 33,000 in a year because of rising sickness rates, family holidays and the timing of an Islamic religious festival, it emerged today.

Experiences of Ofsted inspections: from good to notice to improve and back again

Kenny Frederick — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:00:00 -0600

During her time as principal, Kenny Frederick's school has had a mixed bag of experiences with Ofsted inspectors

In my 17 years as principal of George Green's school, I have been through five Ofsted inspections. In this time, the Ofsted framework has changed seven times and there have been at least three redrafts in the past four years.

My first inspection as principal was in November 1998 when I been in post for about 18 months. There were 12 inspectors and they spent four and a half days in the school. The team was led by a very experienced lead inspector. He was not a Her Majesty's Inspector (HMI) but he knew his stuff and he put us through our paces. We were judged to be an improving school with outstanding leadership with good capacity to improve further.

The next inspection was six years later in November 2004. Again we had four and a half day inspection and between 12 and 14 inspectors were in school. The HMI in charge was experienced and thoughtful. He listened and understood what we were doing at George Green's. My team and I had great respect for his judgments and found his report very useful. The school was judged to be a good school with many very good and outstanding features. Leadership was seen to be outstanding.

Four years later it was a very different story. Ofsted arrived in the third week of the autumn term in 2008. Our results had dipped and we did not make the jump we had anticipated. Some 20 part lessons were seen in the one and a half days the four inspectors on the team spent in the school.

There were a number of things about the inspection that I was concerned about but I did not feel I could argue about the poor achievement that year. We had all been shocked when the results came in that summer but it was fair to say that nobody including the local authority thought we would go into an improvement category. I was devastated and so were my staff.

It was the hardest thing I have ever done to get up the next day and come into school to face everybody. I had thought about resigning but was convinced that this would not help the situation, even if it made me feel better. I was judged to be a completely inadequate leader with no capacity to improve. Not great for my self-esteem but I got over it – eventually. We had to accept what had happened and work quickly to get ourselves out of notice to improve (NTI) as soon as possible.

As principal, I had to get over myself and my hurt feelings and pick the school up and move forward. This was not easy as we were distraught. Our natural optimism set in and we set about producing our action plan involving the senior leadership team and middle leaders in the process. We looked at what had gone wrong the year before and did a forensic examination of every subject and every pupil and then set about making sure that attainment would rise.

We had already changed the curriculum and it was starting to make a difference. Our tracking systems were a bit unwieldy so we set about simplifying them so that the data could and would be used effectively by all teachers. I had two new deputies who had just arrived two weeks before the inspection in September (what a shock for them!) but were keen to implement lots of new ideas and quick fixes as well as contributing to the long term view.

A headteacher from a local school who had recently gone through an inspection and had implemented much closer monitoring and tracking procedures sent down two of his senior staff to meet with us and share what they were doing. This was really useful was much appreciated. We introduced assessments every half term in every subject which was tough on staff and children but gave us the information we needed to spot problems and to intervene quickly.

Our teacher training has always been good but as with everything else in an NTI situation we pulled the continued professional development programme apart and started to look again at what we were doing. We introduced coaching for all teachers and trained them all to be coaches. Our teaching and learning team gained a new status and really took control of the training and involved lots of colleagues in it. A lot of work was done around CPD that was valued by all staff and did make a big difference.

A year later in mid-October 2009 with a 16% increase in results we were judged to be satisfactory. The HMI this time was fair but was, I felt, a little hesitant to judge us as anything other than satisfactory. In any event we were just delighted to be out of a NTI. What a party we had – it would have been judged as outstanding.

We have recently been inspected again and were judged to be a 'good' school once more. The report reflects our school (which considering the limitations of the framework, is something!). Our experience this time around was vastly different from the terrible experience in 2008.

The visits did have one thing in common – rotten timing. Inspectors came this time as our governors were in the process of appointing my successor.

The phone call came on Wednesday morning at 12 on the dot. I was out but we were well prepared and my deputy had all the information on hand to go through the Ofsted script. I was back in school by the time she got through going through this (about an hour) and was able to talk to the lead inspector myself.

We then did what every other school does and met with staff, told the kids and parents and stayed until 9pm. There was great excitement in the air and everybody was pleased that Ofsted were coming. This was because they had been waiting so long they wanted to get it over and done with and also because they were feeling confident and proud of their school.

The team who arrived on Wednesday morning were very experienced. They worked positively with staff but were also very challenging – I could not fault them. The fact that they were just as interested in the achievements of our foundation learners as our IB candidates said it all. They understood inclusion and what we are trying to achieve.

The time went quickly with very few formal meetings with senior or middle staff – they talked as they inspected the school. We had everything on hand that we thought they might need and we had it in a short format they had time to read. If they did not ask for it we gave it to them anyway. They saw 50 lessons in all and gave feedback to all my teachers which they found very useful. We did not feel they were out to get us. In the event it all worked out well for us and we are delighted.

However, I have been thinking about what might have happened if the team had arrived in the first few weeks of September as they did in 2008. We have 18 newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) this year and they needed time and support to learn and practice their craft. If they had arrived earlier the number of good or outstanding lessons would have been considerably less. This would really have skewed the judgment, but I don't know what the answer is to this.

Our school is complex and it needed an experienced team to inspect us and this is what we got. People may think my experience with Ofsted means that I am totally against the institution and what it does. I am not. I accept accountability and all that goes with it but I want it done in a more humane and insightful way.

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