Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector, caused a stir last week after claiming that lower grades for schools in disadvantaged areas are compensated by praise for leaders.
Spielman said Ofsted acknowledged the “relative strength” of schools in poorer areas by rating their leadership higher – after allowing schools in more affluent areas to score better.
She said the watchdog’s analysis found that “compared to more privileged schools, Ofsted’s chances of their leadership and management outweigh their overall effectiveness”.
The watchdog tells School week it could not share the data as it was not publicly published.
Therefore, we tried to repeat a study that could support the claims.
The number scammers at Education Datalab analyzed the inspection results of 1,389 primary and secondary schools between September 2019 and March 2020 (when the inspection was stopped).
The analysis removed that schools rated as ‘outstanding’ could not be their leadership rate as the overall grade.
Figures support Spielman’s allegations
Education Datalab compared schools to the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in the January 2020 census, divided into five quintiles.
They found that 16 percent of primary schools with the most disadvantaged groups get higher leadership judgments than their overall grade, compared to just 5 percent of the most prosperous schools.
The trend was clearer at the secondary level, where 26 per cent of the schools with the poorest pupils received higher leadership judgments, compared with only 6 per cent of the schools with the most prosperous intakes.
Spielman claims the findings showed that poorer schools’ “relative strengths” are recognized.
But Stephen Tierney, chairman of the Headteachers’ Roundtable, said there was a “true perception” among leaders in disadvantaged areas that a higher leadership rating was a condescending blow to the head.
He added that the overall judgment ‘is ultimately what schools live and die on’, and that Ofsted inspections are more apt to give ‘narrative statements’ rather than to give a point.