Labelling Children

Jayanna, I don't know how much experience of Ofsted you've had, but in the early days they most certainly did grade individual teachers. The information was given to headteachers and caused a great deal of tension within schools.

You speak from first hand experience I'm guessing grannypiper

OFSTED ? the organisation founded by Grimms, their fairytales are equal to Disney

Get off my back jayanna you are merely splitting hairs.

Good point Jane10.
Our second son, now aged 53, is probably in what's now called the autistic spectrum. He was once diagnosed as bipolar, like his Dad, but we now think that was a mistake. He came off his medication and didn't relapse. Always had social and relationship problems, but brilliant at school and University. Got a 1st in Maths from Manchester.
We're very proud of him now. And his wife, who has similar problems. They're the ones who are bringing up 4 orphan children in India. He works there as a maths teacher.

Don't forget there are five times as many adults with autism as there are children! They all grow up and still have it. One of the people our team diagnosed was a teacher fyi! This person was specially commended by the schools inspectorate(or whoever it was who inspected schools). This teacher was especially praised by the children for their fairness to all and good organisation. The children always knew what was expected of them. They didn't know that the biggest nightmare for this person was the social chitchat of the staffroom and that their refuge during breaks was the stationary cupboard with the lights out for sensory reduction.

Thought I would put this link here for those who do not understand the problems Autistic children and their parents have:

www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/autism/parents-children-autism-spectrum/fears-anxieties-sensory-issues-and-meltdowns

Well worth the read, and I feel very sympathetic to any parent having to cope with it.

Mrs Moop, thank goodness caning and slippering have now been banned from schools. I did not send my children to school to be abused by teachers. They were there to learn. I would have been down to the school straight away if they had been caned.

I was a prefect at school. I caught some people messing about with mercury and took it off them. The teacher walked in to the classroom, saw me holding the test tube and sent me to the headmistress for the cane! Not one of the little sneaks owned up in my defence. Hope you are reading this wherever you are.

Of course. But you tried to add authority to your post by claiming (twice) that Ofsted had graded you an "outstanding' teacher", which simply could not have been true. I think it's unwise to try to win an argument with inaccurate information and surely just damages your cause when pulled up on it?

This is an interesting discussion as one of my DDs was (and still is) dyslexic; but she was 100% determined that no-one was going to stick a label on her and she soldiered her way through her schools, uni and an MA on the back of huge effort.

I remember one of her secondary school English teachers saying how very bright she was and was always first with a verbal answer. We knew why her verbal skills were so well developed!

We let her choose her own way forward but would have been ready to intervene if we felt things were getting too difficult for her.

Were not we're.

I CBA'd replying earlier, but I'm sure you must know it's not like that at all. OFSTED make their judgements, not on a one-off lesson that they've just observed, but also by talking to the children, going through all their books and written work, classroom displays, teachers record-keeping and seeing the level at which they've been working over the year. They consider the standard of marking very carefully when making a judgement and also the behaviour of the class. I'm talking here primary school where, normally, one teacher is responsible for delivering most aspects of the curriculum. It was quite normal to observe more than one lesson and to discuss specific curriculum areas with those responsible for them. In addition SATs results, added value, the demograph of the school, etc. we're taken into consideration

I'd have to check with my daughter, SIL and DiL how things are done at secondary level these days.

Mind you don't slip up on it - again.

OK we're all rubbish teachers and it was the luck of the draw

wanders off to find something to over-egg

They rate the quality of teaching in a school overal, using a "best fit" judgement. So they might observe some outstanding lessons, some good and make the judgement that overall the balance is that the quality of teaching is outstanding. It doesn't mean everyone they observe is outstanding though.
In regard to individual lessons, in primary it is perfectly possible for a teacher to deliver an outstanding lesson in a subject such as history because this is her passion and to be satisfactory or even unsatisfactory in Maths say.
In secondary a lesson where a teacher delivers her specialist subject a lesson can be outstanding on that particular day, in that particular aspect of the subject, with that particular class, from which certain children may just be absent.
This "luck of the draw" aspect of inspection was what led to the withdrawal of grading of individual lessons.
At no point should an individual teacher have been told that she was an outstanding teacher , the reference was always to the lesson observed, and individual teachers were never identified in the written reports.
This is not to say that I don't agree with the majority of what has been said on this thread but I think the argument is lost if it leads us to overegg the pudding!

Those poor families with a child whose autism is severe. Indeed any family with a child whose disabilities are at that level has my entire sympathy Greenfinch

Even between the grans on here who have GC with ASD there is a wide range of 'problems' but I think we are all grateful that the education system (by and large) and society (in general) is much more aware than in previous generations and much more accepting. Still plenty of research to be done as the human brain is such a complicated organ, but medical research is pushing back the frontiers in almost every area.

Anya the film is about two teenage brothers one of whom is severely autistic. The film deals with the embarrassment,responsibility,frustration and loneliness of the sibling but also with the love/hate relationship with his brother and is set in Australia.In reality I think it would be very difficult to have a boy like this living at home.It made me feel very humble and grateful for the far fewer problems my DG1 has.

Yes this was about 5 years ago and my friend was given feedback about her lesson, as being outstanding. I know she was very proud of this. To be fair though I did not know this all ended in 2014 as it has not been spoken about since.

Jayanna they rate the 'quality of teaching'

Anyone seen Ankers recently

OK they rated the lessons ....which were delivered by teachers.

I'm pleased that you know that 'OFSTED rate the teacher's' [sic]

No Ofsted don't rate teachers. They never did. They rated schools overall and individual lessons they observed and that ended in 2014.

I also think it is sad, and must be hurtful for a teacher to be told by others here on this forum, that they would not like them teaching their children or Grandchildren, just because she has asked a question and expressed her views which alot of you do not agree with. She may be a wonderful teacher.