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Ofsted's reforms: Missing the point

Ofsted has set out plans to rebalance school inspection, but is still failing to address the most crucial problem, says Dr Andrew Clapham

Ofsted has announced a “rebalanced” approach to school inspection in England. Inspectors intend to move away from a focus on exam results. Echoing what teachers, school leaders and unions have been asking for, Ofsted has acknowledged that its current approach to inspection has significant and detrimental implications for schools.

Under new proposals, open for consultation, chief inspector Amanda Spielman has outlined how examination performance will cease to be the overriding indicator of school performance. She describes how there has been too much “gaming” of the system by schools.

Academics and practitioners alike have highlighted that in such a high-stakes inspection system, schools will “do what is necessary” to survive (Perryman 2009; Clapham 2015).

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