The Big Wigs are coming - Quick, everyone start behaving!

[Chromatix]

It's the same at schools in the UK when OFSTED inspectors visit.

[Trixie]

Our store actually had the CEO drop in twice once on Christmas Eve and once on Black Friday. Both times it was just him and he just walked around the store and chatted with people. Then my store was set up for and Official Visit and boy did they go crazy with fixing the place up. I remember they had a guy spray painting the ceiling tiles to hide water stains. Even had other managers come in to fix up our inventory. Yeah, on the big day of the visit he was there for less than two hours probably with a bunch of minions. So phony. Sadly I was off that day so I missed all the hoopla.

[Deserted]

I bet all these corporate types are completely surrounded by yes men. "What's that, CEO? Strangle half the workforce and whip the rest? SHEER GENIUS! That should raise morale!"

[sstabeler]

It's the same at schools in the UK when OFSTED inspectors visit.

I remember when I was at secondary school, the troublemakers were...encouraged... to be truant on OFSTED inspection days.

[CyberLurch]

The sad part is, I think these corporate types are fully aware that the centers go to great lengths to "dress the place up" and act all proper while they're here. If they REALLY want to see how we operate, they should set up a hidden camera and watch it a few times a day/week/whatever.

I just hate how we have to be so phony when these kinds of things happen.

We're one of the top centers in our region, we're doing our jobs. Why can't they leave well enough alone?

The vibe I'm getting off this is that it might not be *just* the higher-ups who are visiting. When I worked for Gold Circle (a long, long time ago - they've been defunct since like 1981), it was not uncommon for potential or existing major investors to be touring a store with the brass.

Or, it might be the regional managers are part of the entourage. It'd be THEIR ass in a sling if the CEO was displeased with the store. Remember, orders don't always come from the top. 'Panic' orders like this usually come from someone who would be up to his ears in brown and smelly if the brass got annoyed.

[wolfie]

I remember when I was at secondary school, the troublemakers were...encouraged... to be truant on OFSTED inspection days.

Since troublemakers, by definition, like to cause trouble, what are the chances that they, on finding out that the school administration didn't want them on the premises when the "top brass" were visiting, made sure they DIDN'T skip out? Naturally, they'd be on their worst behaviour during the visit.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Wasn`t this the premise of two simpsons episodes? One where homer was hidden during a nuclear plant inspection, and one where bart was somehow sent on a field trip or something when the school was being inspected. Maybe not, my memory gets more confused by the day.

[fireheart]

I remember when I was at secondary school, the troublemakers were...encouraged... to be truant on OFSTED inspection days.

Over here, people are told that "your child should be at school on NAPLAN days" (NAPLAN is a national test) but there are way too many stories to count of low achievers or kids with learning/other disabilities being encouraged to stay home on test days. This is more common at the elite schools though.

Wasn`t this the premise of two simpsons episodes? One where homer was hidden during a nuclear plant inspection, and one where bart was somehow sent on a field trip or something when the school was being inspected. Maybe not, my memory gets more confused by the day.

In Bart's case, he was hidden in the basement under the premise of receiving a mountain bike. that was the whacking day episode.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Wasn`t this the premise of two simpsons episodes? One where homer was hidden during a nuclear plant inspection <snip>

The bee bit my bottom! Now my bottom's big!

[eltf177]

In Bart's case, he was hidden in the basement under the premise of receiving a mountain bike. that was the whacking day episode.

As were Nelson, Jimbo and Dolph. They forced Bart into a heating duct to get them out, but Bart found Groundkeeper Willy's tractor and couldn't resist...

[fireheart]

I'm kinda lucky: we have one of the head office folks (my lovely RM) come and visit us weekly/fortnightly (sometimes it's weekly, other times it's fortnightly) to check up on us and audit us. Lately she's been auditing us, which has caused some "holy crap" reactions when I've been able to rattle off some of the answers verbatim. (AND do it better than those who are more qualified than me too)

The closest approximation to ours is when we go through "Assessment and Rating" but this is a GOVERNMENT visit, not a corporate/head-office related one. This also only happens once every few years or so.

[sstabeler]

Since troublemakers, by definition, like to cause trouble, what are the chances that they, on finding out that the school administration didn't want them on the premises when the "top brass" were visiting, made sure they DIDN'T skip out? Naturally, they'd be on their worst behaviour during the visit.

surprisingly, no. On the one hand, the school really needed a kick up the ass about actually enforcing the school rules on the troublemakers instead of their victims (I was a favourite victim- and to avoid heading straight into Fratching territory, I'll leave it there) but on the other, it meant a relatively peaceful day, which was a nice change from the usual madhouse. ( though the madhouse might have been more peaceful...)

[NorthernZel]

Over here, people are told that "your child should be at school on NAPLAN days" (NAPLAN is a national test) but there are way too many stories to count of low achievers or kids with learning/other disabilities being encouraged to stay home on test days. This is more common at the elite schools though.

Over here spec-ed students can be exempt from National Tests, if/when the principal and the parents both agree and sign a waiver.
Lil'Zel got exempt this year (2nd grade) but he'll do some mock tests during the year so he's able to participate in the tests next year.

There have been sad stories about spec-ed students being encouraged to take "a sick day" when field trips are arranged, though. Luckily, Lil'Zel's school is not like that, but rather tries to arrange alternative means of transportation if the students can't cope travelling in larger groups.

[fireheart]

Over here spec-ed students can be exempt from National Tests, if/when the principal and the parents both agree and sign a waiver.
Lil'Zel got exempt this year (2nd grade) but he'll do some mock tests during the year so he's able to participate in the tests next year.

There have been sad stories about spec-ed students being encouraged to take "a sick day" when field trips are arranged, though. Luckily, Lil'Zel's school is not like that, but rather tries to arrange alternative means of transportation if the students can't cope travelling in larger groups.

Over here, kids who are NESB, have lived in Australia for less than a year, have various disabilities or whose parents have a religious reason (such as test week occurring during an important religious festival) or philosophical objection to testing, can opt to have their kid exempted/withdrawn from being tested. Kids with very severe disabilities can have the school start the exemption process (in line with their parents), everyone else needs to get a parent to do it.

Steiner schools and the like tend to have higher numbers of kids withdrawing from the NAPLAN (and for good reason), with the remaining kids sitting the test as a whole group. Part of me wonders how the Year 7 students coped with the calculator portion of the test as Steiner schools discourage technology until Year 8 (they're not entirely anti-technology)