OFSTED grades are misleading, and often inaccurate, says ex government advisor

With no way to objectively assess how good one school is over another many people will simply rely on anecdotal evidence. Parents may select a school they attended many years ago, wishing for their child to enjoy the same educational benefits that they benefited from - or they might choose another school they have heard is academically good, perhaps from friends whose children are pupils there.

Like any institution schools can change over time: headmasters and mistresses will come and go, much of the teaching staff will be entirely different decade to the next; and funding structures from local councils may vary over time. All these factors can have a dramatic influence on the school. How is it possible then for parents, when trying to select a place for their child, to objectively judge how good a school is? League table results can be misleading, as schools often have the practice of only allowing pupils of appropriate ability to sit certain exams.

Ofsted reports seem like the perfect solution to determining just how good, or bad, a school may be. The institution itself is a non ministerial department of the UK government, unaffiliated with any particular school or university, and is an independent institution which reports only to parliament. Schools can be visited at any point during the term, and though they used to have to give 48 hours notice, this is presently set to change to a mere 15 minutes notice, with Ofsted announcing their imminent arrival with a phone call.

New research published by the EDSK, a new Education and Skills think-tank, has cast serious doubt as to the reliability and objectivity of Ofsted reports. The results are indeed astonishing, with separate international studies conducted during 2012 and 2013 revealing that different inspectors are able to arrive at vastly contrasting assessments about the very same school. A small discrepancy would be expected in any kind of large scale review - but the research from the EDSK has shown that, in as many as 50 per cent of inspections, simply having a different inspector can mean the same school receives a vastly different grading.

Tom Richmond, Director of the EDSK and former advisor to the Education Secretaries Michael Gove and Nicky Morgan, has said the whole rating system is misleading parents in as many as half of all cases. He did express understanding at how parents consider Ofsted reports to be helpful when selecting a school for their child, but cautioned as to their reliability:

`We know that many parents use Ofsted grades when choosing a school for their child. But these same parents have never been told these grades could be very misleading in terms of how well a school is performing.`

`Instead, we should focus on giving parents simple, accessible information to help them decide if a school is right for their child rather than Ofsted trying to come up with all the answers themselves.`

Ofsted are planning to make changes to the way it assesses schools, with their new system being rolled out this September. The new grading system will apparently focus more on children`s behaviour, with the whole school being marked down if any unruly or discourteous conduct is observed. The new framework for the report will feature a `personal development` category, which will judge how schools are planning to build up their pupils` `resilience and confidence.`

A spokesperson Ofsted has recently declared: `We are open to serious debate about how we inspect, as shown through our recent consultation on a new inspection approach. We will be publishing the outcome soon.`

The proposed changes have met with positive comments, with The Association of School and College Leaders saying the alterations Ofsted are proposing are a `step in the right direction`. Tom Richmond, Senior Research Fellow at Policy Exchange think-tank in Westminster has said that there`s no evidence that suggests a benefit to `summarising an entire school in a single number or phrase.`

Ofsted itself have criticised the report, and rejected the judgement that their school grading system is `inaccurate.` Despite their defence, it seems that Ofsted is planning a major change to its assessment system. Schools do need to be independently graded - parents need a comprehensive tool to help them select the right school for their child; and school`s themselves need to be kept under check, to ensure standards do not slip.