COBIS

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SIBBSIBB
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:49 pm

COBIS

Post by SIBBSIBB »

COBIS did an evlauation of the school I am at and made deragatory comments about me as a teacher to the head of school. I think the comments were wrong but that is beside the point. Is it the remit of COBIS inspectors to evaluate teachers and give feedback to the head of school?
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Short Answer: Yes

Long Answer:
Sure. The term inspector is a rather generic term. COBIS inspectors (evaluators) who carry out membership inspections (evaluations) to gain COBIS membership isnt the same as a BSO inspection carried out on behalf of the Dfe. COBIS isnt any more an accreditation than COIS is, they are just a club/association that an IS can join. In that regard a COBIS inspector (evaluator) can absolutely provide both official (formal written) and unofficial (informal verbal) feedback to an ISs leadership on whatever observations they deem prudent. The IS is the client and COBIS will happily provide whatever data and report an IS wants and pays the coin for. If a COBIS inspector (evaluator) makes an unsolicited comment to leadership in whatever type of setting and context as long as its not published there isnt anything an IT can really do about it, the IS is the client not the IT. There isnt a rule or regulation that would forbid an inspector (evaluator) from relaying an observation they had. What leadership does with that and what it means for you might provide you some recourse, but people saying things about you that you dont like or agree with is just part and parcel of being in edu. You will at any time find someone who has something negative they think or say about you personally or professionally. You need to add some Teflon to your back so those types of communications slide off and to the wayside. If you dont cultivate some enemies in edu youre probably not doing anything noteworthy, though many ITs make an entire career out of doing the bobble head and being beneath notice. Now if your leader calls you to the line to account for mean girl behavior thats another story.
expatscot
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Re: COBIS

Post by expatscot »

Psyguy - for CIS evaluations there is a protocol for when this happens (I'm a CIS evaluator.)

The CIS visits don't evaluate individual lessons, like (say) OFSTED do in England. But if we see something in a classroom visit which is concerning, we can raise it informally - this might mean going back and having another look, just to make sure it's not a one-off, 'bad day' lesson which we all have. In many ways, it's more like a teacher seeing something wrong in a colleague's classroom and then raising it with their HoD, for example (in many cases the only management contact the evaluators have with the school is through senior management.)

The only time I can think of where it could be raised 'formally' would be if the issue related to safeguarding.

Finally, the school can complain about the conduct of the visit.
SIBBSIBB
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:49 pm

Re: COBIS

Post by SIBBSIBB »

The problem with these COBIS idiots making comments is that there is no recourse unless a complaint is filed. The 80 something senile old tart that observed my lesson, an MYP 1 biology class, took issue with the fact that I had students first create a poster on animal vs. plant cells and then present their posters to the class. The old fart thought it it was busy work.
PsyGuy
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Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@expatscot

CIS has a protocol for everything, the entirety of the process part and parcel is a protocol. Theres a protocol for pooping if you want to call it that.

Yes they do evaluate individual lessons, even if they arent for the same reason as Ofsted. If theres a CIS inspector (evaluator) in the room to determine coherency and congruence of the curriculum even if the IT isnt the focus, its still VERY much someone in an evaluative capacity in the room.

Of course a CIS inspector (evaluator) can raise it informally, thats what informally means. Its not like theres a mute button on the back of there head that keeps them from speaking, because anyone and everyone that has a standard channel of communication available to them can speak informally. That doesnt matter if the informal report, results in an informal evaluation and then an informal opinion that ultimately results in an IT being dismissed formally for cause or informally for other reasons, the outcome is the same.

Since CIS inspectors (evaluators) only really have contact with senior leadership and thats who they work with and communicate with on the ISs side the presence of junior leaders such as coordinators and HODs is a moot point.

Any issue in the inspectors (evaluators) mind can be classified as a safeguarding issue. Safeguarding means whatever the persons brain thinks it means. Saying that the rational for any type of formal report would only be for an issue of safeguarding only expands the category of safeguarding to include whatever the observation was and thus justifying the report. Pushing the safeguarding button isnt an actual button with a checklist or protocol, its a mental schema of rationalization for whatever the holder wants it to be.

@SIBBSIBB

You didnt have to go past idiots, that explains the situation in its entirety.

As an aside, even if it was busy work, its academically aligned and appropriate busy work. Busy work has become more of a catch all net of encapsulating any type of activity that just isnt super awesome and engaging in every possible and conceivable way. Learning is not synonymous with entertainment or edutainment. Most of the time its just work, and it will be that way until we get the point we can literally inject students with knowledge.
SIBBSIBB
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:49 pm

Re: Reply

Post by SIBBSIBB »

> @SIBBSIBB
>
> You didnt have to go past idiots, that explains the situation in its
> entirety.
>
> As an aside, even if it was busy work, its academically aligned and
> appropriate busy work. Busy work has become more of a catch all net of
> encapsulating any type of activity that just isnt super awesome and
> engaging in every possible and conceivable way. Learning is not synonymous
> with entertainment or edutainment. Most of the time its just work, and it
> will be that way until we get the point we can literally inject students
> with knowledge.

I 100% agree with what you are saying - if nothing else, teachers can't be expected to deliver the best of all possible lessons all the time. But this really really really wasn't busy work. I thought it was a creative and engaging summative assessment; the students certainly enjoyed it. It irritates me ti this day that this mindless, 80-something old fart who clearly thought she was the shit - in fact, that entire COBIS team seemed to think quite a lot about themselves - gets to make such idiotic and untrue comments about what was a successful lesson.

It says a lot about the school as well. The entire process took a week and was an extended dog and pony show. The lengths admin went to just to get a leg up. The headmaster was actually out one morning dancing and jumping about like a complete ass with the primary students just to make, I'm guessing, the kind of impression the COBIS mob likes to see.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Inquiry

Post by PsyGuy »

@SIBBSIBB

I assume you are no longer at this IS?
SIBBSIBB
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:49 pm

Re: Inquiry

Post by SIBBSIBB »

PsyGuy wrote:
> @SIBBSIBB
>
> I assume you are no longer at this IS?

No, they terminated my contract and one of their 4 reasons was what this COBIS woman said. When I questioned it, the Head's reply was, "Hey, well thats what she said." A hard position to defend against.
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