Office For Standards In Education Research Articles

The strengths and limitations of using quantitative data to inform school inspections

ABSTRACT School inspections are a common feature of many education systems. These may be informed by quantitative background data about schools. It is recognised that there are pros and cons of using such quantitative information as part of the inspection process, though these have rarely been succinctly set out. This paper seeks to fill this gap by presenting arguments both for and against the use of quantitative data in informing school inspections. We argue that while quantitative data provide objective information about important outcomes, their usefulness is limited somewhat by a range of factors including missing data, small sample sizes, the creation of perverse incentives, and the fact that most readily available measures capture aspects other than school quality. We conclude by discussing how the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) – the school inspectorate in England – currently makes the trade-off between these pros and cons.

A critical friend or the sword of Damocles: Headteachers’ use of micropolitical strategies in inspection

In England, a new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) was launched in 2019. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OfSTED) describes it as evolutionary in bringing out education improvement. Others criticise its methodology and detrimental impact on schools. This study compares the foci, evidence-collecting methods and inspection decision-making processes between the 2015 Common Inspection Framework and the 2019 EIF. Eight headteachers were interviewed about their inspection experiences. Findings show that the headteachers purposefully employed micropolitical strategies such as acquiring the support of others, creating a favourable impression, shaping discussion and decisions, weakening opposition, and hyper-enacting policy to advance organisational interests. Six out of the eight schools in this study were rated ‘Good’ under EIF. However, the EIF left the power imbalance between OfSTED and schools and fear-induced performativity unchallenged. Headteachers and teachers were forced to engage in a new game at the cost of their physical and emotional well-being. This study aims to advance knowledge of the ongoing inspection reform in England. When other countries use OfSTED frameworks as a benchmark for designing their own inspection systems, it is crucial to carefully examine the potential detrimental impact associated with the inspector-school power imbalance and fear-induced performativity.

Ofsted: The case for reform

This article proposes reform of the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). It considers the purpose of inspection in English schools and describes the previous system of inspection based on Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI). The question of how effective Ofsted is – in comparison to similar countries – is then addressed. The creation of Ofsted is described and its strengths acknowledged before discussion of the frequent criticisms it has attracted. Whether or not the English education system actually needs rigorous inspection is considered and the conclusion reached is that inspection is desirable, but not the current Ofsted model. The remainder of the article outlines the principles that could underpin a more positive model of inspection and the most pressing issues for reform. It ends with the recognition that, since schooling will be subject to change in a modern technology-driven world, models of inspection also need to be flexible.

Are schools doing enough? An exploration of how primary schools in England support the well‐being of their teachers

AbstractThough teacher well‐being (TWB) has been decreasing over time, there is an identified lack of awareness in schools across England on how settings can support TWB. To address this gap, this study provides teachers with a space to share their conceptualizations of well‐being, evaluate current school‐level TWB provisions, and provide recommendations for ways that existing TWB support could be enhanced. Semi‐structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 16 primary school teachers across England. Reflexive thematic analytic findings indicated that participants defined well‐being in relation to their unique contexts, and cited some current school practices, including school and academy‐wide support and social support, as being effective for TWB. However, participants emphasized that they perceived current TWB provisions as tokenistic, which was suggested to be accentuated by poor understandings of TWB and pressures from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and COVID‐19. To address these issues, participants outlined the need for improvements in communication, the attitudes and approaches of Senior Leadership Teams toward TWB, increased provisions to both manage and decrease workload and increasing the amount of time that they have to meet expectations. Implications for policy and practice to enhance TWB are discussed.

Are some school inspectors more lenient than others?

ABSTRACT School inspections are a common feature of education systems across the world. These involve trained professionals visiting schools and reaching judgements about the quality of education they provide. Yet there is currently little academic research investigating the consistency of school inspections, including how judgements vary across inspectors with different characteristics. We present new empirical evidence on this matter, drawing upon data from more than 30,000 school inspections conducted in England between 2011 and 2019. Male inspectors are found to award slightly more lenient judgements to primary schools than their female counterparts, while permanent Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) employees (Her Majesty’s Inspectors) are found to be harsher than those who inspect schools on a freelance basis (Ofsted Inspectors).

Place-based disparities faced by stuck schools in England: a contextual understanding of low performance and the role of inspection outcomes

ABSTRACT In 2017 the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) identified stuck schools that have failed inspections continuously since 2005. Our study used quantitative methods to identify factors associated with improving or remaining stuck by analysing a sample of 580 primary and secondary stuck schools and their matched comparison group. We found that not only geographical location, student population, and deprivation play a part when explaining stuckness, but critically, persistently receiving less than good inspection grades contributed to this through two negative cycles: Schools located in more challenging places or with more disadvantaged pupils received worse inspection grades, which triggered increases in teacher turnover, and further received less than good Ofsted inspection judgements. These findings call for place-based inspections that consider school location and student composition, and recognise the detrimental role that inspections can play when judging school effectiveness, particularly of schools educating the most disadvantaged communities.

Recognition and reporting of outdoor learning in primary schools in England

ABSTRACT The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects and reports on the quality and effectiveness of educational provision in England. This research explores the extent to which non-mandatory curricular outdoor learning was recognised and reported by Ofsted in their inspections of state-maintained English primary schools (3–11 years) between September 2019 and February 2020. The data obtained from published reports (n = 629) using key word searches indicate mainly positive outcomes for pupils who have opportunities for outdoor learning (42% of reports). Seventy-two percent of comments related to the Early Years Foundation Stage (3–5 years) where access to an outdoor environment or planned daily outdoor activities is a statutory requirement. Inspectors reported on learning and enjoyment outcomes although some identified the need to develop quality outdoor space and learning. The data provide a proxy measure for the extent, nature and status of outdoor learning at a national level.

Can details depoliticize? An examination of the formalization strategy

AbstractPolitical superiors bestow legitimacy on decisions when delegating authority to agencies. Yet, research convincingly demonstrates that the delegation of authority to agencies does not guarantee depoliticized decisions. political principals with the intent of signaling depoliticization may limit agency discretion by invoking a formalization strategy: a strategy where the principal details what constitutes a legitimate decision. The argument of this study is that this strategy falls short in achieving depoliticization, because agencies have incentives to accommodate key voters' opinions, especially in resourceful constituencies. I test the argument by analyzing decisions made by the United Kingdom's Office for Standards in Education—an agency subject to strong formalization requirements when making decisions. In support of the argument, I find that key voters' opinions predict decisions more strongly than any of the other items specified by the political principal, and that voters' opinions matter more in constituencies with high mobilization potentials.

Neighbourhood school environment and dental care needs amongst 5-to-11-year-old children attending a local dental facility in South-East England

AimTo investigate the relationship between neighbourhood school environment and dental care needs of 5-to-11-year-olds attending a local dental facility in Portsmouth, South-East England.MethodsSecondary analyses were undertaken using three cross-sectional, open-access datasets. Data included 4 years of children’s electronic dental records from the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy comprising age, gender, tooth extraction history and residential postcodes converted to Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintiles for census-based geographies called middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs). Additionally, overall effectiveness scores (OES) (1=Outstanding to 4=Inadequate) from Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills of neighbouring schools were computed to ‘population-weighted mean OES’. Descriptive, univariate logistic regression and multilevel-modelling analyses investigated contextual-level influence of school-OES on tooth extraction.ResultsThere were 429-patients [mean-age 7.78 years (SD 1.97 years), female 50.1%] living across 23-MSOAs. Seventy had undergone tooth extraction treatment. Population-weighted mean OES range was 1.74–3.00, while 3.5% and 48% of patients belonged to the most and least deprived IMD-quintiles, respectively. Univariate models revealed age and population-weighted mean OES as statistically significant predictors of tooth extraction (p < 0.05). Multilevel modelling, controlling for age and population-weighted mean OES indicated likelihood of tooth extraction increased by 15% with increasing age and by 161% for patients living in MSOAs with higher population-weighted mean OES (i.e. poor school-performance).ConclusionsSchool effectiveness scores remained a significant predictor of tooth extraction in our study when controlling for individual predictors of dental health. Further research is required to assess the role of neighbourhood school environment in predicting child dental health at the national level.

The (white) ears of Ofsted: A raciolinguistic perspective on the listening practices of the schools inspectorate

AbstractEngland has had a schools inspectorate since 1839, first in the form of Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI), and since 1992, in the form of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). The inspectorate, a workforce made up of a majority of white inspectors, conduct regular inspections of all state schools in England, producing reports which comment on various aspects of educational provision, including teachers’ and students’ spoken language. In this article we deploy a raciolinguistic genealogy to examine the listening practices of the inspectorate, drawing on historical inspection reports generated from archival work, inspectorate language policy, and a large corpus of contemporary reports. We show how raciolinguistic ideologies are deeply embedded into the sociopolitical culture of the inspectorate, and how these ideologies translate into systems of sonic surveillance in which the nonstandardised language practices of students and teachers are heard as impoverished, deficient, and unsuitable for school. (Raciolinguistics, schools, language policing, standardised English, Ofsted, England, social class, ideology)

190 Virtual Work Experience in Medicine: Widening Participation

The national lockdowns due to COVID-19 have caused significant disruption to schools and colleges. As well as interruption to their studies, pupils work-experience placements have been cancelled, particularly those based in healthcare. Despite this, the BMA continues to recommend all aspiring doctors undertake placements within healthcare to aid their application to medical school and give them an insight into being a doctor Creating a ‘virtual work experience’ using simulated video demonstrations in order for students to gain an understanding of what working as a doctor encompasses. This course was offered free of charge to help encourage students, particularly from low-income households.Invitation letters were sent to all public and private schools in Merseyside. Contact details and school information were obtained through the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) Government website. Students were asked to fill out a pre- and post-course questionnaire.Seventy-five schools and colleges were invited. A total of 326 students registered for the course and 220 participated in the virtual conference. All participants were from 18 schools and colleges. Students, where at least one parent had attended university, felt more confident in applying to medical school and securing a place, this was significantly higher when a parent was in the medical profession. Students from private or schools rated as above average by OFSTED felt that they were more likely to apply to medicine than those in schools who were rated average or below-average. Overall, students felt that they had an improved understanding of the different roles of doctors following the course and the simulated scenarios were most useful in encouraging them to apply to medicine.Up to 20% of secondary schools provide 80% of all applicants to medicine, with half of the schools in the UK not providing any applicants to medicine at all. The selection alliance 2019 report on widening participation in UK medical schools suggested that there continues to be a discrepancy in underprivileged students applying to study medicine with barriers including limitations to securing work-experience placements

‘What works’ and for whom? Bold Beginnings and the construction of the school ready child

School readiness is a dominant discourse in current policy agendas in UK and international contexts, fulfilling a range of goals such as providing children with the ‘best start in life’ by breaking the cycle of poverty, and preparing children for formal learning in compulsory education. Focussing on the school readiness agenda in England, this paper interrogates how the local touchdown of international policy formulations influences policy at country-level. It is argued that the emphasis on teaching Mathematics, Reading and Writing as a way of readying children for school raises concerns over the formalisation of pedagogy and curriculum in the Reception year (aged 4–5), in preparation for the transition to Year One of the National Curriculum. Using Hyatt’s Critical Discourse Policy Analysis Frame (CPDAF) this paper examines how the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) report ‘Bold Beginnings’ further strengthens the policy discourse that establishes Reception as a site for school readiness through a discursively constructed narrative of ‘what works’. Based on the analysis, the paper then questions whether the ‘what works’ OfSTED agenda works for teachers and children.

‘OFSTED SAYS WE ARE OUTSTANDING’: HMI CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING EXCELLENCE IN THE NINETEENTH- AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

ABSTRACT Among the most important duties of the school inspectorate since its formation in 1839 has been to report on the quality of teaching. Yet there is relatively little historical discussion over how the inspectorate has defined and evaluated teaching quality, which this paper seeks to address. Following a discussion of conceptual issues and an outline of the paper’s methodology, the inspectorate’s views on teaching excellence are compared in three significant decades in its history: in the 1840s, when inspection judgements on teaching were highly individualized; in the 1880s, when the Education Department explicated and rewarded teaching excellence in financial terms; and the 1990s, when the newly-formed Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) introduced comprehensive guidance upon which to base its judgements. The paper identifies the influences on such judgements, how teaching excellence was described, and longstanding challenges associated with consistency of inspection judgements. Such historical perspective affords important context to questions that continue to have resonance in the inspection of primary schools, notably how teaching quality is defined, measured, evaluated and improved.

Islamic Education: An Islamic “Wisdom-Based Cultural Environment” in a Western Context

As the number and types of Islamic schools in a Western context have increased, so too have the questions on their purpose and impact in pluralistic Western societies. Amid this increasingly complex environment, questions are raised, both internally and externally, to determine the nature of Islamic educational goals, schools’ knowledge and pedagogical practices. Analysis in this paper draws on multiple sources of data: classical and contemporary literature on education in Islam; the Department for Education (DfE) school census and the Office for Standards in Education; Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted); and empirical case-study data extracted from the author’s PhD thesis on diversity in Islamic schools in Britain conducted during 2008–2012 and subsequently revised during 2018–2019 by following up emergent themes. This paper argues for a need to develop an “Islamic wisdom-based culture” promoting action (‘amal) which nurtures the holistic growth of learners in ethical areas (akhlāq), aesthetics (dhawq/jamāl) and develops a sense of freedom (huriyyah). By doing so, the paper draws primarily on Bennabi’s analysis of the role of culture (thaqāfah) in the civilisation cycle, Ibn-Khaldūn’s analysis of freedom and dignity in educational practice embedded in his discussion of the meanings of humanity) Al-insāniyyah) and Gadamer’s analysis of “practical wisdom”. Firstly, it contextualises Islamic schooling in Britain into a neoliberal pluralistic context. The wisdom inherent in Islamic education is explored through critical dialogue during the process of learning and action. The discussion then considers three key elements of “wisdom-based cultural environment” for Islamic education.

Do performance indicators predict Ofsted ratings? An exploratory study of children’s services in England

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore whether performance indicators in children’s services can be used to predict the outcome of Ofsted inspections. Every local authority in England is inspected by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, children’s services and skills) and given a single, overall rating – outstanding, good, requirements improvement or inadequate. These ratings carry immense significance. Persistently inadequate authorities are liable to have legal responsibility for providing services outsourced to another organisation. Ofsted have been criticised in the past for focusing too much on procedure, and previous research has highlighted the importance of deprivation and spending levels. In this paper, we describe a new study using more recent Ofsted and local authority data to see what patterns there might be now between performance indicators and inspection results. Design/methodology/approach We report an analysis of 45 variables in relation to children in need, children in care and young adults with care experience. Using statistical analysis, we consider to what extent performance measured by these variables differs between authorities based on their Ofsted ratings and which of the variables can be used to predict Ofsted inspection outcomes. Findings We identified no consistent patterns of difference between local authorities in relation to Ofsted ratings. Deprivation was the best single predictor of Ofsted inspection outcomes. Originality/value This study uses relatively recent Ofsted and local authority data and builds on previous research findings which are increasingly highlighting the significance of deprivation as a factor to help explain variable performance between different authorities.

Born into care: Evidence of a failed state

This paper shows that the number of children who entered state care in England before they were a week old was 44% higher than shown by previous research if children ‘voluntarily’ placed in care are included. A series of freedom of information requests show the rapid increase between 2007 and 2017. The difference in rates between local authorities is also rapidly increasing and bigger increases are associated with both levels of deprivation and local authorities whose performance was graded inadequate or needing improvement by the Office for Standards in Education. In 25 local authorities an average of one child in every 100 live births is separated from its parents in the first week in life, with very few ever being reunited. The growth in numbers and proportions of children entering care in the first week of life is a key driver of adoption rates. But far from acting as a form of prevention, with lower proportions of older children entering care, where local authorities undertake very early removal from parents the opposite is true. This points to a possible spiral of failure as a high proportion of parents who have been in care risk losing their children at birth.

School quality ratings are weak predictors of students' achievement and well-being.

In England, all state-funded schools are inspected by an independent government agency, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Inspections aim to hold schools accountable and to promote the improvement of education, with the results made available to the public. Ofsted reports intend to index school quality, but their influence on students' individual outcomes has not been previously studied. The aim of the current study was to explore the extent to which school quality, as indexed by Ofsted ratings, is associated with students' educational achievement, well-being and school engagement. We use an England population-based sample of 4,391 individuals, for whom school performance at age 11 and GCSE grades at age 16 were accessed from the National Pupil Database, and who completed measures of well-being and school engagement at age 16. We found that Ofsted ratings of secondary school quality accounted for 4% of the variance in students' educational achievement at age 16, which was further reduced to 1% of the variance after we accounted for prior school performance at age 11 and family socioeconomic status. Furthermore, Ofsted ratings were weak predictors of school engagement and student well-being, with an average correlation of .03. Our findings suggest that differences in school quality, as indexed by Ofsted ratings, have little relation to students' individual outcomes. Accordingly, our results challenge the usefulness of Ofsted ratings as guides for parents and students when choosing secondary schools.

Being an Inspector is Not a Bed of Roses

School inspection has always attracted great controversy, but especially since the inception of the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Over the years, many voices have entered the debate about inspection, but one particular voice has hardly been heard – that of rank-and-file inspectors themselves. This attempts to offer a glimpse of their perspective through an unusual lens.

Factors influencing the culture of special school physical education: A Gramscian critique

Physical education (PE) research has largely been preoccupied with mainstream (regular) schools. This article reports on part of a larger research project that centralises special school PE. In particular, Gramsci’s conceptualisations of hegemony, power and ideology are utilised to help shed light on the key factors that shape the culture of special school PE. A number of key themes were constructed from twelve interviews with special school senior leaders and PE teachers including, ‘economic climate: budgetary constraints’, ‘access to appropriate facilities and learning spaces’ and ‘pressures from Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) and senior management team’. These findings demonstrate how particular historical and contemporary factors contribute to the positioning of PE in special schools. The status and value of PE in these settings is sometimes considered less favourably than other areas of the curriculum or indeed mainstream PE. In spite of this, staff tasked with delivering special school PE had the desire and creativity to offer engaging experiences. In concluding we note that issues concerning economic constraints, limited space to deliver PE and pressures associated with Ofsted can be found in many mainstream schools too. However, honing in on the particular circumstances within special schools broadens insight about PE in contemporary schools.

Risk factors associated with outbreaks of seasonal infectious disease in school settings, England, UK.

Children are important transmitters of infection. Within schools they encounter large numbers of contacts and infections can spread easily causing outbreaks. However, not all schools are affected equally. We conducted a retrospective analysis of school outbreaks to identify factors associated with the risk of gastroenteritis, influenza, rash or other outbreaks. Data on reported school outbreaks in England were obtained from Public Health England and linked with data from the Department for Education and the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Primary and all-through schools were found to be at increased risk of outbreaks, compared with secondary schools (odds ratio (OR) 5.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.50-7.58 and OR 4.66, 95% CI 3.27-6.61, respectively). School size was also significantly associated with the risk of outbreaks, with higher odds associated with larger schools. Attack rates were higher in gastroenteritis and influenza outbreaks, with lower attack rates associated with rashes (relative risk 0.17, 95% CI 0.15-0.20). Deprivation and Ofsted rating were not associated with either outbreak occurrence or the subsequent attack rate. This study identifies primary and all-through schools as key settings for health protection interventions. Public health teams need to work closely with these schools to encourage early identification and reporting of outbreaks.