PREMIUM: Ofsted is necessary because of schools like this

Supply teaching experience makes it clear that some schools don't manage behaviour effectively. They should face the consequences.

A dumpster fire in a classroom

A few years ago, when I was taking teaching jobs on short-term contracts, I briefly found I had some spare days on my calendar. I signed up with an agency to do some supply work¹. In the end, I did one day of supply. It was in a school with a less-than-stellar reputation. I had turned it down a few weeks earlier, but they specified they needed a maths specialist, and I decided it was worth a try. This was over seven years ago, and I don’t think I made any notes at the time, so forgive me if some of the details are sketchy.

Andrew’s bad day