ARTICLE

I feel older by the day

I feel older by the day, like one of those guys that still wears his medals from some long-forgotten war and tells anyone willing to listen, or not quick enough to escape, of how things aren’t what they used to be: BUT...

  

I belatedly read the report by Dame Ney and there is much in there that I support. Actually, there isn't anything in there that I don't, though the fundamental impact of reduced funding deserves more of her time as a core element of our continuing woes. 

That elephant aside, two things struck me; the requirement for Ofsted to take a holistic view of leadership in assessing a college, and the need for the agency to take an equally holistic and supportive approach to assessment. Now, maybe it’s my faded memory but I seem to remember that those were normal practice in the olden times. I remember attending reviews as a new principal where all aspects of the college's performance and our future plans were discussed with our local team of what would now be ESFA officers.

 

It was tough, we often resented the intrusion in our autonomy, and it wasn't 100% effective. Yet it was useful - but required more people than they now have, and expertise in-depth that I wonder if they have enough of despite the many good people that I know work there.

 

The process also demands sufficient time and trust to be effective. If we are to return to that model then we should make sure that those on the other side of the table have the time to do their job, and the longevity in role, to develop the relationships that are essential if that nurturing model is to be effective. I would also say that it would be impossible to build this trust in an environment where the Commissioner continues to be required to make public reports on individual college failures. I have no desire to protect those who are genuinely bad but there are many unintended and negative consequences of a name-and-shame approach. By all means, share the lessons learned for the good of the sector - but can we put the stocks away? 

As to Ofsted, yes, it doesn't make sense to say this provider is good when the organisation is going to hell in a handcart financially. Too many failures in the past have been because the leadership team got too focused on one issue whether threat, opportunity, or vanity project, and lost sight of the core business. Too many colleges were judged good just at the point when they began a fatal slide (by the way, my definition of too many is more than one). Plus, celebrating a 'Good' can mask failure or support a self-deluding leadership team or board. 

 

So yes, there should be a holistic view.

One other point before you finally escape. Clerks, directors of governance, whatever. I have yet to see a college fail where they had a strong clerk. I have seen too strong a correlation between weak clerks and failure to view it as a coincidence. So, can we make sure that there is a positive focus on that role in whatever is to come? 

 

I tell you, things ain’t what they used to be. In my day......