Another SEF question (sorry)

[md0u0131]

I find rating myself really difficult - those of you who have done yours do you think it best to be:

- too confident in the SEF and risking being made to look big headed
- or be too critical and risk looking like I have no confidence

I don't mind the writing bit as its actually useful to sit down and have a good thin about the things I do and don't do but I'm really not enjoying the rating bit!

[sarah707]

Rate yourself as honestly as you can.

If you have lots of evidence showing you do something well then say so

[MAWI]

That is a really tough one. I struggled with this too.

I agree with Sarah, be as honest bas you can. If you think you are working above and beyond what is expected of you, don't be afraid to rate yourself accordingly. However, be prepared to back everything up that you state in your SEF. My inspector read every single word of mine and she used it to grade me. She told me at the end of the inspection that the reason she stayed so long was to gather evidence to back up what I had said in my SEF.

My first SEF I rated myself as GOOD and since that I became accredited, improved my knowledge, gained a playroom, on my 2nd SEF I rated myself as a couple GOOD in most but knew I had improved in some areas so rated myself Outstanding.

The SEF I submitted before my inspection, I rated myself as Outstanding and thought I would go for it, It was up to Ofsted to tell me otherwise.

I think the real KEY is experience and belief in your capabilities and be prepared to put your point across to Ofsted ( I did this frequently during inspection). And it paid off

Good Luck, It's a decision only you can make.