The landscape of school evaluations is set for an overhaul, with the educational watchdog Ofsted transforming their once-simplistic grading approach into a more nuanced one that offers greater detail and context for parents. Moreover, specialists have developed the Fairer Schools Index to mitigate some of the inherent biases found in the conventional methods of ranking schools.
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Previously in England, parents relied on Ofsted’s one or two word summaries. Inspections culminated in assigning one of four ratings: outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate.
Soon, a “report card” will dissect different facets of a school’s activities to furnish parents, who are in the process of selecting a school, with ample and more pertinent insights. The Mirror has disclosed that the Fairer Schools Index evaluates additional parameters like student demographics, ethnicity, and socio-economic challenges, which complements already existing performance indicators.
This new system aims to eliminate some of the bias that underlies the current league tables published by the Department for Education. It highlights schools that are performing exceptionally well despite serving students from less privileged backgrounds, acknowledging their efforts in “beating the odds” and significantly contributing to their pupils’ education.
For instance, students from lower-income backgrounds who receive free school meals typically perform 0.69 grades lower than their counterparts. Given that nearly a quarter of schoolchildren are on free school meals, the Index aims to consider such factors when establishing the new ranking system.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership think-tank is advocating for the index to be used alongside traditional school league tables. Henri Murison, the chief executive, stated: “We must demand the best for every child. Those schools that beat the odds stacked against their pupils should be recognised as being high performing. And that will drive down the disadvantage gap over the next decade and reduce the gaps which exist across and between parts of England today.”
“By neglecting to consider various factors associated with pupils’ backgrounds, the previous government incorrectly labelled numerous schools in areas like the North East of England as under-performing, while failing to acknowledge demographic differences that contribute to higher outcomes in London schools.”
Have your say! What makes a good school? Are top exam results the priority, or would you look for something else? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.