Ofsted -think before you speak

Monday 29th January 2024 - thought for the day 

MPs are lobbying for the scrapping of Ofsted single word/phrase awards. First of all, along with perhaps the majority of our population, I believe that the whole system needs overhauling and I speak from fairly close contact with much of this, BUT...

...using a phrase or single word description is immediately emotive one way or the other, and despite dictionaries that define,  words and phrases can have different nuances for different people. When anybody makes a statement, however they intended it to sound the result that matters is how it is interpreted by the receiver.

If say a five star system was used a lot of the emotive interpretation would be removed. A parent considering a school that had four out of five stars would usually think that sounds ok, perhaps accepting the fact that not many schools would have five stars anyway.* With three stars or less the parent would likely take the trouble to dig deeper and find out the reason which may well not be something that was directly relevant to their or their child’s situation. It might even reveal a strength in an area that was actually relevant to their situation.

I realise this is a somewhat naive comment on a very complicated issue and I am not making a wholesale plea for adopting a star system, but just trying to illustrate how many things can be improved when common sense and an appreciation of the needs, thoughts and emotions of all parties are considered - in this instance that is fourfold starting with pupils, then teachers, then parents and then the Establishment.

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* When I occasionally complete a survey or review on the Internet I believe that four stars means "good" and five stars must be for something exceptional and beyond normal expectation which of course is rarely awarded.

Wisdom

Saturday 27th January 2024

It has taken me a lifetime ( even past the Three Score Years and Ten) to take some interest in football. It was kindled by unavoidable watching of the sport sections on TV news and being impressed by Jürgen Klopp who seemed to bring a  new aspect to football management contrasting with the entrenched gum chewing fraternity. Jürgen kicked it off in one of his first interviews when he was asked if he considered himself "special" in comparison with José Mourino, self claimed as The Special One. Jürgen replied, "no, I am normal, I am The Normal One."

Having mentioned my interest to my son W, family banter ensued accusing me of being a closet football fan after all, and to keep up the image I started to idly follow the fortunes of Liverpool FC. The next Christmas W presented me with a Liverpool merchandise red dressing gown, incidentally one of the best items of clothing I have had  in all those three-score-and-ten-plus years. I even bought a  mini metal pin badge, not lightly added to my fleece along with a revered cut out map of Scotland and a badge made and painted by granddaughter Katie with a miniature painting of  OS mapping in the background overlaid with the word Mapman.

Yesterday the news of Jürgen's departure at the end of the season was a shock, but on reflection it underlines his character in having the wisdom and courage to make the right decision at the right time. Jürgen's commitment to Liverpool was further demonstrated when he said he would not manage any other England club, that compared with most managers who flip backwards and forwards like the ball in that early ping-pong computer game.

I suppose I may continue to take some interest in Liverpool FC. We will have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime I have been impressed by the success of our England women's team where here again we have a whole new approach to football management.

Perhaps pigs can fly?

 Thursday 17th January 2024

I had the second f/up appointment for my detached retina operation from 3rd. January today.

Mrs Linton, the consultant who did the op. was wholly satisfied and all has gone well.

I have had a diminishing black shadow on the eye working its way down from top to bottom permitting an increasing amount of vision. That is now reduced to a small strip at the bottom which Mrs. L is confident will disperse completely within a further week. To all intents and purposes I am now seeing as well as I could before.

Having had the details of the procedure described to me I am in awe at the skill employed and hugely thankful for the prompt attention I had for this serious problem. I was assured that left unattended blindness would have been certain.

BC commented above on the possibility of pigs flying - I am beginning to wonder.

All the staff at Chorley Eye Clinic were helpful, considerate, and full of good cheer in their newly purpose built environment where it was unexpectedly a pleasure to visit. Let's hope that many other areas of the NHS can be so modernised producing an atmosphere for increased morale and well being for staff, patients and overall effectiveness.

Arnside Monster spotted

Monday 15th January 2024 

As I fill in snatches of time between  medical appointments for me and son W,  after the eye operation, and being unable to drive (for the moment I hope)  I suspect I am suffering from incipient cabin fever - idle hands...

The New Year throws down the guantlet

 Thursday 4th January 2024

Saturday 30th December 2023 - I awake to find the left quarter of my left eye's vision is just black. I am understandably worried. I phone Specsavers: earliest appointment 8th January. The problem now comes and goes a little. I dither and decide to see how it goes. I ask myself, if this is optimism or stupidity?

Sunday 31st December (New Year's Eve) -  Why do emergency problems seem to happen  late on a Friday afternoon or on the eve of a bank holiday? Fortunately we have Primary Care at Kendal,  a walk in centre for minor medical problems. I know they will have no eye specialist but it is like a back door into  the hospital system bypassing the GP appointment and referral. There are many waiting and it is late afternoon,  and note, New Year's Eve. I see the doc.  The doc. makes a call to the ophthalmology department at Lancaster but they have all gone home but he secures a promise that I will receive a phone call next day (New Year's Day) which I doubt.

The evening passes with my son W as we  find out how to use a new coffee machine, a present from W's sister. Brilliant results are archived combined with our new discovery of Booth's Black Coffee Beans. We continue with my  de-luxe version of macaroni cheese followed by Eton mess. I am in no real discomfort and the problem continues to fluctuate. New Year is seen in with the Jules Holland hootenanny on the tv, a splendid show as always. New Year's day passes with no phone call from Lancaster.

Tuesday 2nd Januay 2024 I have an appoinment with the ophthalmology  department at Lancaster in the afternoon and a detached retina is diagnosed. The doc contacts the Lancaster Eye Clinic at Chorley and tells me I have an appointment next morning at 9:00am. I phone the Eye Clinic to get some more information and they can't find the referral from Lancaster and tell me they have no record of my referral and without such from an optician or GP they can't proceed. They suggest the optician in Milnthorpe.  I set off to drive there and halfway receive a call from Chorley to say they have now found Lancaster's referral and I have an appointment for 9:00am tomorrow (Wednesday.)

Wednesday 3rd January 2024.  Up at 6:00 am - my son drives me to Chorley. On arrival they can't find my appointment and much drama and stress ensues as we are pushed from one department to another until eventually I am squeezed on to the list of consultant Mrs. Linton. At last order is restored and I start to calm down. Mrs. Linton is kind and soothing and in no rush giving me friendly and  detailed description of the op and its potential consequences and an assurance that she particularly wants to get ME done today (for my sake, not hers.)- thank goodness for such folk.  The op. took place on Wednesday. I had to go back to Chorley this morning for a post-op check up and saw Mrs. Linton again. All has gone well. I can partially see already and am assured that all  is going well, and I have another followup on 17th January. 

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There has been a lot of stress for me over these last few days, but even though there was some bungling the NHS have been positive and helpful and all the staff I have encountered have  been so attentive and making one feel that you and your well being really matter to them - I can't speak too highly of them. The whole of the Lancaster Eye Clinic is buzzing with good cheer. At my follow up with Mrs. Linton on Thursday I said I was in awe of her skills. She said thank-you and added that she so much enjoys her work.