Last week we got the call all schools dread - it's inspection time again. Usually this is the cue for science teachers to go mad ordering all manner of complicated experiments they've never tried before in an attempt to impress the inspectors and be judged 'outstanding'. Inevitably all this achieves is a huge amount of extra work for the technicians and the inspector probably never came to the lesson anyway.
This inspection is slightly different and the panic is coming from a different side.
As a boarding school we are not only judged on the education that we provide, but also on how well we care for the students and this current inspection is an interim one focussing on boarding and welfare. For the teachers there is very little impact, but senior management have been bombarding us with emails about the various welfare and H&S policies and wanting to make sure that we all know the official line on anything an inspector may want to talk about.
The Health and Safety manager had warned that they would be very interested in seeing the science facilities and checking all our H&S paperwork, so we made sure we were all prepared before he brought one of the inspectors round yesterday afternoon. What an anti-climax! The guy asked me where we keep the radioactive sources and that was it.
Don't know why everyone gets so worked up.
Showing posts with label inspection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspection. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Friday, 10 February 2012
Inspection over!!
I'm not allowed to say much until we get the full report, but all the stress and hard work was worth it!
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Inspection - Day 3
Another insanely busy one. Loads of practicals and lots of stressed out teachers.
To help with the stress, I bought a box of chocolates and put them out on the side in the prep room with a note saying 'For Stressed Physicists'. The chem tech stopped by mid-morning and eyed the chocs, asking 'What about stressed chemists?'. I told him that chemists need to look after themselves. I'm a meanie!
To help with the stress, I bought a box of chocolates and put them out on the side in the prep room with a note saying 'For Stressed Physicists'. The chem tech stopped by mid-morning and eyed the chocs, asking 'What about stressed chemists?'. I told him that chemists need to look after themselves. I'm a meanie!
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Inspection - Day 2
We're fully in to the inspection now, and the teachers are getting noticably more stressed!
The H&S inspector yesterday seemed quite happy, which was a good start. He was particularly interested in seeing the radioactivity store and then chatted to me a bit about my science background. He was quite a sweetie really - fairly old with a huge shock of hair growing out of each nostril! I managed not to stare too much (I hope!)
Two of my teachers have been observed this morning. It mostly went ok, except that water started dripping from the ceiling in Lab 3 onto the kids while the inspector was in the room! That often happens when chemistry have their sinks in use upstairs unfortunately. I've put an urgent note in to maintenance, so with any luck it'll be sorted before any more inspectors show up.
The H&S inspector yesterday seemed quite happy, which was a good start. He was particularly interested in seeing the radioactivity store and then chatted to me a bit about my science background. He was quite a sweetie really - fairly old with a huge shock of hair growing out of each nostril! I managed not to stare too much (I hope!)
Two of my teachers have been observed this morning. It mostly went ok, except that water started dripping from the ceiling in Lab 3 onto the kids while the inspector was in the room! That often happens when chemistry have their sinks in use upstairs unfortunately. I've put an urgent note in to maintenance, so with any luck it'll be sorted before any more inspectors show up.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Inspection - Day 1
All quiet on the western front - so far!
It snowed over the weekend, so everyone was a bit worried as to whether we would all make it to work today, but thankfully the roads aren't too bad and we all made it in 1 piece.
This morning we're expecting a Health and Safety inspection consisting of 2 inspectors, the H&S manager and the Estates Bursar. I spent some time last week making sure all my paperwork is fully up to date (especially the radioactive sources file) and I'm wearing my white coat so I at least look professional.
Fingers crossed!
It snowed over the weekend, so everyone was a bit worried as to whether we would all make it to work today, but thankfully the roads aren't too bad and we all made it in 1 piece.
This morning we're expecting a Health and Safety inspection consisting of 2 inspectors, the H&S manager and the Estates Bursar. I spent some time last week making sure all my paperwork is fully up to date (especially the radioactive sources file) and I'm wearing my white coat so I at least look professional.
Fingers crossed!
Monday, 30 January 2012
Panic Stations!
We've just been told the the dreaded inspection is happening next week. 9 Inspectors are expected on monday.
Cue many worried looking teachers. I am battening down the hatches (metaphorically speaking) and preparing for the worst.
Cue many worried looking teachers. I am battening down the hatches (metaphorically speaking) and preparing for the worst.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Now hiring
Yippee!! We're advertising for a physics teacher to start in September.
As I mentioned previously, we've been short staffed this year because a teacher left but wasn't replaced. We've had 2 chemists and a biologist filling the gaps which hasn't been easy on any of us, and to make matters worse one of the chemists has been off since october with major family trouble so we've had a cover teacher (also a chemist) filling in for her. That cover teacher has been off sick for the past fortnight so HoD has been covering for the cover teacher. Phew!
We've been warned by senior management that they consider physics to be one of the best departments in the school(!) so when the inspection happens they will be steering inspectors in our direction. That's very flattering, but also a bit of a worry.
It'll be lovely to have a full complement of physicists again, especially since a lovely teacher I worked with at a previous school is thinking of applying. I have my fingers crossed that we get someone awesome!
As I mentioned previously, we've been short staffed this year because a teacher left but wasn't replaced. We've had 2 chemists and a biologist filling the gaps which hasn't been easy on any of us, and to make matters worse one of the chemists has been off since october with major family trouble so we've had a cover teacher (also a chemist) filling in for her. That cover teacher has been off sick for the past fortnight so HoD has been covering for the cover teacher. Phew!
We've been warned by senior management that they consider physics to be one of the best departments in the school(!) so when the inspection happens they will be steering inspectors in our direction. That's very flattering, but also a bit of a worry.
It'll be lovely to have a full complement of physicists again, especially since a lovely teacher I worked with at a previous school is thinking of applying. I have my fingers crossed that we get someone awesome!
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
An inspection looms
The fear of inspection is most definitely growing!
Last week I did a lovely notice board display with the photos from the most recent CERN trip. This has apparently indicated my supreme skill at putting stuff on the wall so I've now been asked to do another board highlighting all the extra-curricular and enrichment activities that we are involved with.
Once we started making the list it was actually quite an impressive array of stuff!
The latest big idea is to design and build a solar powered car with the ultimate aim of competeing in a race across Australia. It's a huge project and it'll be amazing if we can pull it off!
Sadly that is somewhat in the future and for now I am helping my HoD sort out the schemes of work so we've got something tangible to show the inspectors. No one will ever actually work to the scheme, but management want them done, so we have to do them. Lots of photocopying, laminating and organising files involved! Remember what I said about stuff that isn't my job? Yep, lots of that.
Last week I did a lovely notice board display with the photos from the most recent CERN trip. This has apparently indicated my supreme skill at putting stuff on the wall so I've now been asked to do another board highlighting all the extra-curricular and enrichment activities that we are involved with.
Once we started making the list it was actually quite an impressive array of stuff!
The latest big idea is to design and build a solar powered car with the ultimate aim of competeing in a race across Australia. It's a huge project and it'll be amazing if we can pull it off!
Sadly that is somewhat in the future and for now I am helping my HoD sort out the schemes of work so we've got something tangible to show the inspectors. No one will ever actually work to the scheme, but management want them done, so we have to do them. Lots of photocopying, laminating and organising files involved! Remember what I said about stuff that isn't my job? Yep, lots of that.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Happy New Year (slightly belated!)
Woo!! It's 2012 and everything is... well pretty much the same as 2011 actually.
Term is underway although thankfully there are mocks for 5th and 6th form this week so we get to ease ourselves back into things gradually. Once the exams are over though we'll have to hit the ISAs, especially for the 6th form.
The other headache on the horizon is that we are expecting an inspection this term. Word on the grapevine is that it'll be the week after next so the first signs of headless chicken syndrome are starting to appear. For my part, I shall attempt to carry on as normal although I may spend a bit of time making sure the notice boards look pretty. That always seems to make teachers happy.
Term is underway although thankfully there are mocks for 5th and 6th form this week so we get to ease ourselves back into things gradually. Once the exams are over though we'll have to hit the ISAs, especially for the 6th form.
The other headache on the horizon is that we are expecting an inspection this term. Word on the grapevine is that it'll be the week after next so the first signs of headless chicken syndrome are starting to appear. For my part, I shall attempt to carry on as normal although I may spend a bit of time making sure the notice boards look pretty. That always seems to make teachers happy.
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