h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Never expected this one, but the ICT department retrieved data from the laptop yesterday . And they had just done it when the machine expired again, possibly for the last time. You can be sure that I will be an obsessive backer-up of data from now on.
Deep joy, on Monday the men from the ministry come to inspect the Education Authority. Oo-er. Time will tell, but we reckon we are the bee's knees. Arrogance before a fall or justified confidence. Not sure, but hope all goes well. At least their arrival means an end to obsessive preparations and paperchasing. This is not the way we advise schools to do it, but we are busily producing loads of 'never to be read' evidence.
Never mind, all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.

'All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds'

Is that from Candide? If it was, you might want to check out A1009243.

But aside from that random bit of plugging for the Edited Guide, what is it that you do steve?

I'm over here in the states in the educational administration field and it sounds like you're going through the same type of audit that we get subjected to at least once a year.

Good luck with it!


- X

Thanks for the good wishes Jimi
Right about Candide, and thanks for the link. I studied it at school and have never forgotten it -
"There is a concatenation of all events in the best of possible worlds; for, in short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle (and so on and so on), you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts.'
'Excellently observed,' observed Candide; 'but let us cultivate our garden.' (Last words of the book. The first speaker is Dr Pangloss who was always going on like this).
No entry in the Guide that I could find on Votaire. Now there's a thought.
What do I do? Many have wondered
In the following I have resisted writing you an essay about our system - so ask if there is anything that makes no sense.
I work for a Metropolitan Local Education Authority on the outskirts of Liverpool. 22 Secondary schools, 89 Primary. I am part of the advisory service, and my job is supporting and challenging the schools on standards, planning, anything you can name. I worked in schools for 20 years before I came into the job, which is a fairly typical career path. I am part of a team of 6 working throughout the LEA - My work is mainly with the Secondary schools because that is my background (I was an English teacher in a former life).
We are inspected every 4 years by Ofsted, the national body which also inspects schools. It is a full-on scrutiny with half a dozen outside inspectors pronouncing on everything we do. A very poor showing in this has resulted in the past in some LEAs being virtually thrown into the hands of a private company, though we see ourselves as pretty successful.
Actually, I love the work I do, and find the work with schools stimulating - they say they find our service useful.
What area of Educational Administration do you work in?
(By the way, creepy that the first person I speak to in this site ends up to be in the same line of work. There's somebody out there) .