THE DAY THE CHIEF INSPECTOR CAME TO TOWN People may have noticed that I have gone very quiet on the Ofsted front, after months of banging the drum about the urgent need for reform of the inspection process. I wanted to be fair & respectful to Sir Martyn Oliver and see/hear how things played out in the first few weeks. I started to hear good things from people I like and respect, but I didn't want to be taken in by a bit of spin and some positive PR. I wanted to start to see real change and, for the first time in ages, feel like we had reasons to be optimistic. I also wanted to look him in the eyes and see for myself whether he gets just what is needed. For the record, I absolutely believe that he does and I think better times are coming. It's safe to say that I didn't think he would take me up on my invite to visit our school but, not only did he say yes almost instantly, he made the visit happen quickly. So, today he spent 2 and a half hours visiting school, speaking to me and my colleagues and both he and the assistant regional director could not have been nicer or more lovely with the children. We felt privileged to have our voice listened to and, rest assured, we didn't pull any punches in our feedback. But, nothing came as a surprise. We all felt that Sir Martyn is clearly all about getting better outcomes for children and he knows his stuff. Slowly but surely, I genuinely believe that things will get better. Following the visit, I feel much more comfortable about being 'in the window' and am going to try really hard to stop jumping when the phone goes. Yes, there are still plenty of things to be ironed out at the highest levels, but do I think it will happen? Yes, I do, actually. I often think the true test when meeting someone new is whether I would like to go for a pint with them and whether I'd enjoy the experience. I try to take people as I find them and it may surprise some people out there, but it's an easy and resounding yes from me (and he said he'd take me up on the offer at some point....) Not everyone is going to agree with this post and many, like I have been for so long, will remain sceptical and feel like they have heard all this before. For what it's worth, I think this time is different and I believe better times are ahead. Watch this space - he has some good ideas. (Oh, and he is even bigger in real life than the pictures!)