As reported by BBC, most of the outstanding schools in England inspected last year have been downgraded, according to a report from the schools watchdog
Some of them had not been looked at for 15 years and many would have experienced ‘significant change’ such as new head teachers, Ofsted said.
But the National Education Union (NEU) said Ofsted’s findings were ‘frequently unreliable’.
The Department for Education said most schools remained good or outstanding.
Between 2012 and 2020, schools judged outstanding were revisited only if specific concerns were raised.
Ofsted said 80% of outstanding schools it had revisited last year had been downgraded – 308 primary and secondary schools.
Most were bumped down to good – but 17% were told they needed improvement and four per cent were inadequate.
Ofsted said it had prioritised schools that had gone the longest without inspection, when it had been deciding which schools to look at last year.
On average, the schools it visited had not been inspected for 13 years – but some had gone as long as 15 without an inspection.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies said an increase in funding for the next two years, in last week’s Autumn Statement, would only return real-terms per pupil spending to its 2010 level.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the government had ‘rapidly improved school standards, thanks to the tireless efforts of school leaders’.
‘Today, 87% of schools are now rated as good or outstanding – up from 68% in 2010,’ he said.
Ofsted aimed to inspect every school by the summer of 2025, the spokesperson added.
During Ofsted visits, inspectors observe lessons and talk to staff and pupils.
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