This report by the Nuffield Foundation explores whether receiving a series of below good Ofsted ratings can act as a barrier for improvement. Currently, there are around 580 schools with stubborn underperformance that require improvement.
‘Stuck’ schools tend to be characterised by higher rates of deprivation, pupil mobility and teacher turnover. They also tend to be found in middle-sized urban areas rather than large cities or rural areas.
Nevertheless, there are many other schools that share most of these characteristics but have not been deemed ‘stuck’. In other words, they have managed to avoid a continuous cycle of less than good inspection judgements.
This analysis has shown that what makes ‘stuck’ schools unique, is their continuous cycle of less than good inspection judgements, rather than their challenging characteristics or academic performance. ‘Stuck’ schools are not the same as ‘unimproved’ schools. ‘Unimproved’ schools (as defined by their pupil attainment and progress rankings) are not necessarily ‘stuck’ and, indeed, some ‘stuck’ secondary schools had improved, showing moderate or higher rates of progress alongside not-’stuck’ schools. Therefore, Ofsted inspection grades are not necessarily capturing the
quality of education as measured by pupil attainment and progress.
This quantitative analysis sought to understand whether receiving a less than good judgement from Ofsted triggers a cycle of events which then results in schools continuing to receive negative judgements for many years.