Having been through and seen several Ofsted inspections, I write in response to the article (Oxford Mail, November 24) concerning the present framework for Ofsted.

Certainly in one school that I visit as a music teacher, the report of such a recent inspection has had a very detrimental effect on all the staff who work in the school.

Over many years that I have been teaching, I am well aware that there will never be a perfect school (is there a perfect government or job?) and that each child will never be brilliant at every subject they are taught.

One cohort/class will never be the same from year to year, and results can, and will, be affected by that.

But, at the moment, when a hard working school is put into the lowest category of an Ofsted inspection, due to a few areas of weakness, this surely takes away from other areas of school life where children do achieve success, without having any tests to take in relationship to that success.

These limiting Ofsted judgments are then seen by school, parents and community. Each year, as a music teacher and with the help of the music coordinator, we are always left following public performances with the thought ‘how do we do better next time’.

The progress of the performances that the children achieve has gone from strength to strength over the past six years. The children recognise the quality, the parents are thrilled by the performances, and the community is very encouraging in its praise of the work that is done by the school.

I use the word ‘work’ in its widest sense, for this achievement is born out of hard work, dedication and commitment from all concerned.

This does not seem to count in the overriding headine of ‘every child’s education matters’; it never gets an Ofsted grading.

So, when this particular school is put down to the lowest category due to SATS results not being as good as the previous year, with issues regarding safeguarding or decisions about teaching made after 10 minute observations, those staff who flog their guts out to educate, care for, work with, and have some fun with the children to ensure a healthy learning environment – as well as those who seek to ensure that results are as good as the children can achieve – are made to feel very inadequate and not valued.

In fact they feel they have failed.

I am not saying that maths, writing and reading are not important, but I plead for the balance of education to be restored in the inspections of schools, to ensure that the education of the whole child is valued, nurtured and appreciated – and not just left to test results or the fact that more fencing is needed.

Paul Herrington LRAM; ALCM; Cert.Ed, Wootton, Abingdon