The chief inspector of Ofsted has warned that the existence of nearly 500 ‘stuck’ schools is ‘nothing short of a scandal.’
In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, Amanda Spielman has highlighted a group of 490 ‘intractable’ schools that have had poor performance for ‘a very long time.’
The inspection data since 2005 for these primary and secondary schools show that the proportions of pupils who are eligible for free school meals are ‘well above the national average’.
This is also the case for white British pupils eligible for free school meals.
Ms. Spielman told the PAC that the data shows the proportion of stuck secondary schools varies considerably among different regions.
‘That these schools remain poor for so long means that, for some children, in certain areas, there may be no opportunity to attend a good school at any point in their education,’ she writes.
‘This is nothing short of a scandal and is a betrayal of children’s futures.’
Schools were also criticised for ‘squandering the generous funding’ they enjoyed in the past, for example by hiring too many teaching assistants. Ms. Spielman said there was little evidence this had improved education.
She also criticised the use of performance tables and targets to rank schools, saying she saw evidence of a decline in the quality of education because of ‘an endemic pattern of prioritising data and performance results.’
In response to this last point, a Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We have the most sophisticated performance data we have ever had – published for all schools every year – providing real transparency on schools’ performance for parents.
‘Where concerns are raised about the provision or outcomes at an outstanding school, Ofsted has the power to immediately re-inspect.
