http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16535191

There have been some interesting developments along this that the article does not mention, but which are important.

1 - Ofsted inspections will now not have any notice. They will just turn up - so every day will be a “Ofsted will be here tomorrow” day.

2 - And more importantly, the assessment criteria have been changed, resulting in teachers dropping a level. So if you were regarded as “outstanding” before, you will now be regarded as “satisfactory”. In effect, the goalposts have been moved. Suffice to say, the teachers I know are not at all happy about this, with some (who, BTW, have been classified as “outstanding”) are considering leaving, citing this, the pensions raid and the pay freeze.

1. Ofsted now get a true picture of what a day to day is genuinely like, not one that's been prepped and practiced and documented down to the last second.
2. Teachers will be penalised for doing their jobs the way they're done 99% of the time.

It sounded from Gove like any results due to the behaviour and aptitude of the children is not to be taken into account.

Sounds like an easy way to reduce teacher numbers to me.

This is the case as far as I am aware. Actually, this has always been the case, but the new kicker is that all children must make progress on an almost daily basis. That includes the downs syndrome kid who kicks off into riotous fit and has to be removed to the "quiet room".

In comments on the Guardian website today, some were speculating that this is the first step towards privatising the education system.

Nah, that was academy's.

I also hear that the new Ofsted guide lines include an assessment of what the teacher is wearing.
I'd find this acceptable if it required specific personal protection equipment such as you'd expect in something like a metal foundry or an operating room.
But a class room? Pull the other one.

The first point sounds like a good idea. They should be looking at how teachers work normally, not how they work, when they have specially prepped for an inspection.

The second one doesn't sound so good, although I haven't read the changes in depth. If they are readjusting the scale to take into account changing conditions, that is one thing, if they are just moving people down a grade, that is not fair.

As to the sacking them quicker, sounds fair to me, the rest of us are on 1 to 3 months notice, why is that bad for teachers?

Yes but I'm sure none of us are on 1 to 3 months noticed based on a year on year increase in the performance of others who may have other variables affecting their performance and/or may not wish to achieve the same goal as ourselves.

That's how I worked for 15 years. I was always expected to improve my performance, be better than before, otherwise I wouldn't get a pay rise or promotion and if I did really badly, I would be kicked out.

And when the boss has mood swings, it is even worse!

Dave, I've seen what happens in the run up to a 'normal' Ofsted inspection. You're expected to have scripted literally to the last minute how your class is going to run and what the children will learn from that - minute to minute. The amount of paper work generated is immense, my sister would be working until 11pm, then getting into school for 8pm and going through until 6pm.
There appears to be an assumption by Ofsted that there is such a thing as the 'Standard British Child', which is able to be reliably and predictably progressed.

Having a flying visit by the inspectors is fine, so long as their expectations are in line with what really happens - that is, that education is frequently an organic process based upon the needs of the class and the individuals in it, not something that's scripted to the n'th degree. Yes, you have lesson goals for what you the students to take away, but how you get there should really be based upon what the class needs.
My place of work is lucky - we achieved an 'Outstanding' report from Ofsted a couple of years ago. The thing is, the organisation makes a conscious effort to address the aspects and areas that will get us an 'Outstanding' report and we work on those areas. Rather than, say, concentrating on what our students need in the classroom.
And now they're going to assess the standards of the teachers wardrobe. Petty.

The scheme's a nonsense.