NEU comments on DfE analysis of 'good' and 'outstanding' schools

Commenting on the latest Government analysis, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:  

“Once again the Government is playing fast and loose with statistics. These figures have no statistical significance as has already been noted by the UK Statistical Authority.

“As the Government’s own report notes, ‘the increase in the number of pupils in good or outstanding schools (including academies) has happened at the same time as pupil numbers have increased. Over the period January 2010 to January 2019 there was an increase of over 700,000 in the number of children in state schools in England’. (1)

“Furthermore, the wild claims made by Secretary of State Damian Hinds that 80,000 ‘more’ children are studying in ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ sponsored academies since December 2017 simply don’t stack up as the official data does not compare like with like. The analysis released today includes almost 250 more sponsored academies than in 2017, so it is no surprise that the number of pupils in sponsored academies rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ has risen. The number of pupils in sponsored academies rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ has also risen.

“Recent research for the Local Government Association has shown that schools that remain within the local authority are more likely to retain a good or outstanding rating from Ofsted than those that become academies. This research found that 90 per cent of the schools which stayed with their council (9,400) kept their ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grade, compared with 81 per cent (2,275) which became academies. While ‘good’ schools that converted to academies were more likely to lose their strong Ofsted grade.  Only 59 per cent of schools (723) which were judged as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ in 2014 and which converted to academies were ‘good’ or better by 2019, compared with 88 per cent of schools (2,048) with the same grades who remained with their local authority. (2)”

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Editor’s Note

1. DfE, Analysis of OfSTED Good and Outstanding Schools Ad-hoc Notice (July 2019), page 4. Available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/816083/Analysis_of_OfSTED_Good_and_Outstanding_Schools.pdf

1. Local Government Association, Schools staying with their council more likely to remain good/outstanding(May 2019). Available at:

https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/schools-staying-their-council-more-likely-remain-goodoutstanding