‘Stuck’ schools: are Ofsted judgements stopping them from getting out of the rut?
By Blog Editor, IOE Digital, on 21 January 2020
Bernie Munoz-Chereau, Melanie Ehren and Jo Hutchinson.
A few days ago Ofsted announced that they are seeking a ‘judgement-free approach’ to stuck schools. These schools have been consistently judged less than good for over a decade.
Ofsted believes that these Grades 3 and 4 judgements (namely, ‘satisfactory’ or ‘requires improvement’ and ‘inadequate’) are preventing them from improving.
The judgement unintentionally stigmatizes these schools and makes improvement even harder as the school becomes an unpopular place to teach in, a carousel of consultants try and fail to implement quick fixes, and parents move their children elsewhere.