This report by the Education Policy Institute sheds light on the flaws of the current accountability system and calls for a fairer and more holistic approach to measuring school effectiveness.
The aim of the accountability system was to ensure that users of public services knew what level of service that they had a right to expect. In education this included the publication of schools results in each area and the regular and independent inspection of schools by a centralised inspectorate.
International evidence shows that accountability which allows direct comparison between institutions can have a positive impact on attainment.
But the school accountability system is not without its challenges or its critics. Even the best considered performance measures risk perverse incentives in terms of school admissions and moves out of schools, unfavourable Ofsted judgements can affect teacher retention and recruitment, and the death of headteacher Ruth Perry brought into sharp focus the potential effects on teacher and school leader wellbeing.
This report considers how the accountability system is currently operating and reflects on what it is that it should be delivering.