Beneficial or detrimental? The relationship between sustainability, Eco-schools and Ofsted reports

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article addressed the relationship between sustainability, Eco-schools and primary school Ofsted (Office for Standards in education) reports in England. The article examined the presence of education for sustainability in primary schools’ Ofsted reports and their webpages. The primary schools selected were schools that had gained the title of Eco-Ambassador schools because they had reached the ultimate distinction in the Eco-school approach (held a Green flag). The study followed an exploratory approach employing qualitative content analysis of primary schools’ Ofsted reports and their web pages. Overall, the findings indicated that neither the schools nor their Ofsted reports capitalised on the work they had invested towards sustainability and the Eco-school approach; also the relationship between the primary schools’ work/ethos and their Ofsted reports is not an interactive one.