Ofsted identified 415 poorly performing schools based on recent inspection rating.
Rating poorly performing schools
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) identified 415 “stuck” schools from its recent quality inspection on schools all across the UK.
The poorly performing schools that Ofsted branded as “stuck” are schools that went to at least four annual inspections and hadn’t achieve a single passing rating.
What concerns the education ministry is that within the 415 “stuck” schools mentioned, there are 200,000 pupils under their watch. There are at least 13 years of poor quality education handed out by these schools, and this is despite the constant follow-ups from central and local government.
Ofsted noticed that most of the unproductive schools are from deprived and isolated areas of the UK.
Factors that affect poorly performing schools include congested student population, geographical isolation, low support from the parents and the community, and staff recruitment problems.
But according to the Chief Inspector of schools in the UK, Amanda Spielman:
The majority of the schools in difficult areas are already keeping up with providing quality education. What other schools need are tailored, specific, and pragmatic guidelines that match their circumstances.
Creating difficulties rather than uplifting schools
Dr. Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), lambasted school watchdogs like Ofsted for contributing difficulties through constant criticisms against struggling schools.
Instead of uplifting troubled schools, what Ofsted does is selectively hit on struggling schools without thinking about the repercussions of their criticisms.
The general secretary pointed out that despite the efforts done by struggling schools in terms of student progress, Ofsted unfairly degrades their efforts that eventually create disorientation within the school system.
When a school receives negative reports, teachers and other education staff will less likely consider working with that school. The cause-effect of blunt judgment on a school causes a stigma, which makes it harder for them to recruit teachers and school leaders essential in achieving better quality education.
Ofsted responded by asking the government to fund more school inspections on the identified poorly performing schools. This time, the agency is looking forward to looking into loopholes on how to support and help improve standards in these schools, instead of passing judgment on their current education system.
