Ofsted should leave candour to heads in the pandemic

The decision to carry out school inspections during the pandemic will force headteachers to be too candid with staff who already have their backs to the wall
29th January 2021, 12:05am
Ofsted Should Leave Candour To Headteachers In The Pandemic, Writes Jon Severs

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Ofsted should leave candour to heads in the pandemic

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archived/ofsted-should-leave-candour-heads-pandemic

The two bits of paper Sellotaped together, with faint outlines of red felt-tip along the sides, have a pair of bumps on top. My job, according to my son, is to work out whether they are ears or spikes. I take a punt: “Ears,” I say.

My son looks at me with disdain. “Spikes,” he corrects me. “It’s my eel-dinosaur. What do you think?”

“Oh, it’s brilliant,” I say, not knowing what I am looking at. He could probably have produced something better, to be honest, but we’re in lockdown, he’s not at school and, hey, the kid’s had a hard time of it of late.

Kim Scott, the author of Radical Candor, might say my response was symptomatic of “ruinous empathy”. As Rachel Ball writes this week, this is “where leaders want to avoid any sort of confrontation or tension, and therefore never challenge poor standards” because they fear upsetting someone (see page 38).

On the face of it, Scott is, of course, right: avoid difficult conversations and you begin a deterioration of standards but also of the relationship with that member of staff - the very thing you were trying to protect - because it ultimately becomes built on the lie that something was fine when, really, it wasn’t.

However, I do think that the anecdote above is an interesting example of why Scott’s radical candour needs some careful consideration, particularly in schools.

Coronavirus and the pressure of Ofsted inspections

For the most part, school leaders have the difficult conversation even when they don’t want to because they understand Scott’s point. But right now, there is so much to be empathetic about. The demands of teaching remotely and in person are huge; teachers have to conform to the various restrictions, and deal with the anxiety of a national lockdown and caring for family members at the same time. Is it right to pick up on an issue with their work when, for some, just doing anything in these circumstances is a marvel?

Ofsted certainly thinks so: it will be inspecting schools virtually this term. As a result, headteachers will be pushed into radical candour to ensure those inspections go well.

But here’s the problem: you can be radically candid only when you have a good relationship with someone. Feedback - particularly negative feedback - relies on trust: that the person giving the feedback will be fair; that they understand your situation; that they will be constructive in how they present the feedback. How fully functioning are those relationships right now?

And even if they are functioning, it is exactly those relationships that mean that heads will sometimes choose not to have those difficult conversations - not because of ruinous empathy but because the wellbeing/learning/personal cost-benefit analysis means it’s just not the best option at that moment.

Ofsted’s involvement right now risks taking the decision away from heads. Rather than judging what is in front of them and choosing when to speak up and when not to, and assessing each relationship individually, they are being pushed to be radically candid with all. That could be hugely damaging.

Currently, context is everything. Teaching staff are in an impossible position, squashed between responsibilities to government, colleagues, parents and, most of all, pupils.

The past 12 months have shown how amazing they are at balancing those demands but also - repeatedly - how poorly understood that balancing act is by those outside the school environment. If we want the best outcomes for all right now, we probably don’t need Ofsted or anyone else forcing the hand of leaders - we need to trust heads more than ever because they are the only ones who can truly see what is going on.

Is it ears or is it spikes? Let’s not guess; let’s leave the call to the person who really knows: the person on the ground.

@jon_severs

This article originally appeared in the 29 January 2021 issue under the headline “Let’s be candid: we need to trust heads to get staff feedback right”

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