The dam has burst on Ofsted strength of feeling, writes branwenjeffreys
A small, red-brick primary school in Reading is an unlikely starting place for a seismic shift. But the death of Caversham Primary School's head teacher, Ruth Perry, feels like one of those rare moments when something fundamental has altered in public perception., published after her death, downgraded her school's rating from Outstanding to Inadequate - going from the top to the bottom of the scale.
In recent years though, there has been a more negative edge to conversations I have had in schools. Even a passing mention of Ofsted has led to spontaneous booing at a couple of professional gatherings of head teachers and teachers.It's fair to describe the system as having high accountability and high stakes.
Head teachers of schools in deprived and challenged communities complain vociferously about Ofsted, which some feel is weighted against them.published in 2022 found schools that were stuck in a cycle of repeatedly weak Ofsted performances tended to have higher numbers of disadvantaged pupils. Ms Perry's school was rated as inadequate overall, despite providing a good education and a welcoming and vibrant community for children. The inadequate rating was driven by failings in training, record-keeping and checks on staff.
So where does this debate leave parents who simply want to know what to take from an Ofsted grade, as one part of deciding where to send their children to school?shows how difficult it is to be sure. The academics looked at 10 years of Ofsted inspections of secondary schools and how that related to GCSE results five years later.
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