Sheila Russell (School Management Update, TES, November 14) misses an important weakness in the new procedures for reporting “quality of teaching” to teachers in the revised Office for Standards in Education framework.
Our school has just been inspected and many good teachers have been left feeling demoralised having achieved the middle of the three categories. No amount of reassurances that this “could” (because I do not actually know) mean that their lessons were good, dispels a disarming feeling that one has been judged “mediocre”. Leaving a good teacher who has taught good lessons feeling “mediocre” is a pity and contrary to our wish for school improvement. If a banding system is needed, surely a goodsatisfactorypoor split would be preferable and more balanced?
M PITTENDREIGH
Headteacher St Aloysius’ College London N6
