More than four in five “outstanding” schools facing full inspections last year lost their top rating, Ofsted has revealed.
The Ofsted data published today comes after the exemption from inspections for “outstanding”-rated schools was lifted.
The figures show that 83 per cent of the 371 “outstanding” schools that faced Section 5 inspections in 2021-22 were downgraded.
And primary schools were almost twice as likely to be downgraded as secondaries.
Schools rated as “outstanding” were excluded from routine Ofsted inspections for most of the last decade, meaning many had gone without regular inspections for at least 10 years.
But in 2019 the government decided to lift this exemption, and the inspectorate began visiting “outstanding” schools again at the start of the last academic year.
It carried out full graded Section 5 inspections on any school given an “outstanding” judgement before September 2015.
Schools that received a more recent top grade from the watchdog are now getting an ungraded Section 8 inspection.
83% lose top Ofsted rating
Today’s Ofsted analysis shows that 371 previously “outstanding” schools faced a Section 5 inspection in 2021-22.
These 371 schools had gone for an average of 13 years without a regular inspection.
Overall, 17 per cent retained an “outstanding” grade, 62 per cent were downgraded to “good”, 17 per cent were found to “require improvement” and 4 per cent went from the top Ofsted rating to the bottom with an “inadequate” judgement. In total, 308 schools were downgraded.
Before the exemption on “outstanding” schools was lifted, Ofsted was only able to inspect top-rated schools if it had concerns.
The watchdog said this means that schools had been risk assessed many times, but its data had not raised sufficient concerns to lead to an inspection.
Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said today: “Regular inspection gives parents confidence in the quality of their child’s school.
“Exempting ‘outstanding’ schools deprived parents of up-to-date information. It also left a lot of schools without the constructive challenge that regular inspection provides.
“The exemption was a policy founded on the hope that high standards, once achieved, would never drop, and that freedom from inspection might drive them even higher. These outcomes show that removing a school from scrutiny does not make it better.”
Primaries fare worse than secondary
The data also shows that primary schools were more likely to lose their “outstanding” rating than secondary schools in Section 5 inspections.
Only 14 per cent of primary schools kept their top rating, compared with 25 per cent of secondaries.
There were 266 primary schools that faced full graded inspections.
Reasons for grade
The Ofsted analysis also gives a breakdown of the main judgements given to schools.
In full graded inspections, Ofsted gives schools a rating for quality of education, personal development, behaviour and management and leadership and management.
The analysis shows that just 18 per cent of schools were rated as “outstanding” for quality of education. This judgement includes Ofsted’s new focus on curriculum. The intent, the implementation and the impact of the curriculum are all assessed as part of this judgement.
Meanwhile, 20 per cent of schools were rated as “outstanding” for their leadership and management.
However, schools performed better in the other main inspection areas, with just over a third (34 per cent) rated “outstanding” for behaviour and management, and a similar proportion received the top rating for personal development.
Background to exemption lifting
When the exemption on “outstanding” rated schools ended, 43 per cent of exempt schools had not had a graded inspection for at least 10 academic years, and a further 38 per cent had gone between five and 10 academic years.
Ofsted said that, since their last inspection, many of these schools will have experienced significant change, including a new headteacher, new governors, or becoming an academy managed by a multi-academy trust.
There were 3,900 “outstanding” primary and secondary schools when the exemption was introduced, and 3,400 were “outstanding” when it ended.
Some 1,400 schools remained “outstanding” throughout the period because they were not inspected at all and so kept their grade.
About 1,900 schools ceased to be “outstanding”, usually after an inspection triggered by a risk assessment, and 1,500 additional schools were judged “outstanding” during the exemption period.
Ungraded inspections
The figures published also include the outcomes for Section 8 inspections, which do not result in a grade.
As Ofsted does not give a new graded judgement for these inspections, all of these schools retained their top grade.
However, inspectors can say if they have concerns, which would mean the school faces a full graded inspection next time.
Data shows that Ofsted had concerns at 59 per cent of the “outstanding”-rated schools it carried out Section 8 inspections in.
The proportion of primary and secondary schools it had concerns about was similar, with 60 per cent at primary and 57 per cent at secondary.
