There is a hidden crisis in our schools

Sarah questions the use of Ofsted visits after a teacher revealed how his school hid unruly children from inspectors (MetroTalk, Wed).

Unless, like me, you have taught in a number of schools, you may have little idea of the crisis in education in terms of the challenging behaviour of thousands of children nationally.

Why not start to keep the public informed with the barrage of statistics we have due to Covid? Numbers excluded, those working in isolation, teacher absences and vacancies?

This is a huge national problem that, like care homes, is difficult to monitor as schools are, in part, now autonomous. But not to worry, education secretary Gavin Williamson will sort it out – thank goodness there wasn’t an invasion when he was defence secretary. John, Dorking

As a retired teacher I saw similar avoidances to those described by whistleblower Sarah. I always thought that instead of sending six inspectors in for one week, they should send one inspector for six weeks.

The schools wouldn’t be able to paper over the cracks for that period of time and the staff wouldn’t have to suffer the stress of poorly behaved pupils that the headteachers have failed to address.

Paul McEwen, Orpington

As someone on the sidelines of education, I’ve seen regular timetables scrapped in favour of having students repeat lessons they have already completed and unruly kids hidden out of sight, all in the name of making the school look better than it really is.

It has become especially obvious in the last decade since rules were changed and Ofsted only have to give a few days’ notice to the school. It leaves teachers running around between lessons and staying late on the eve of inspection, as they are forced to prepare a new lesson, while pupils are kept behind for ‘emergency’ assemblies to warn them to behave themselves.