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Reader Reviews | |
Review by Chrissi (300614) Rating (8/10) Review
by Chrissi Through the book we see them from the start of their training through to the end of their first inspection as lead inspectors. I enjoyed the honesty of the author as she describes the stresses and strains of the work that they do. It cannot be easy communicating to teachers that some among the staff group are letting the school down, as well as being away from home for extended periods staying in hotels. This book was written a little while ago, but I do not think that it has dated unless you work within the system. Much is true of other services such as the NHS, the idea that we have a responsibility to constantly evaluate our practice to make things incrementally better is prevalent in many institutional cultures. The writer observes the interactions and describes the people that she meets with empathy as you would expect from someone more used to being on the other end of an inspection. I did like the personal stories that we saw develop through the eyes of the author. The relationships between the inspectors are sympathetically described and the observation of relationships between teachers being inspected was particularly interesting. I appreciate the difficulties of identifying strengths and weaknesses of the school and individual teachers. It must have been a very difficult to discount personal likes and dislikes and be objective, to work within the directive that it is all for the best of the children. The trainee inspectors’ experience of their first inspection as the leader was engaging. Having been a team member for a number of inspections, to get the details of the school for which you will be lead would be a roller coaster of emotions, excitement and sheer terror. The possibility that you could get a school with issues, to have the commitment to follow the processes and have the courage of your convictions must have been quite nerve-wracking. This is a nicely written book, with small moments of humour and a genuine warmth for the teachers and staff with whom she worked. Whilst I could not do her job, I did enjoy reading her experiences. |
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