Six in 10 teachers in schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted believe their rating is wrong, survey finds

• Nearly three quarters of teachers said their experience of Ofsted was ‘negative’ 

Six in ten teachers in ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools believe their Ofsted rating is wrong, a survey has found.

Commissioned by the Beyond Ofsted inquiry, the poll also found that 74 per cent described their experiences with the education watchdog as ‘negative’. The figure rose to 94 per cent in schools which received a poor rating.

Overall, 62 per cent of teachers did not believe the outcome of the most recent inspection accurately reflected their school. Even among the schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, the figure was 58 per cent.

The survey – of 6,708 teachers in England between March and May – found that 89 per cent disagreed with the statement that Ofsted inspections are ‘a valid method of monitoring performance and holding schools to account’.

File photo of a teacher and students in a classroom. The majority of teachers believe Ofsted inspections are inaccurate, a survey suggests. More than nine in 10 (92%) teachers surveyed agreed that Ofsted is not a ‘reliable and trusted arbiter of standards’, according to a report

The Beyond Ofsted inquiry was launched in April amid calls for the inspectorate to revamp its school ratings system, which uses one-word judgments, following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

READ MORE: Teachers at academy school to strike tomorrow over ‘draconian’ proposals for new rules, including giving pupils detention if they repeatedly forget a PEN 

Her family says she took her life in January after an Ofsted report downgraded Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating to its lowest over safeguarding concerns.

Her death is the subject of an inquest due to start at the end of this month. The study, which was carried out by UCL Institute of Education researchers and funded by the National Education Union, found that 92 per cent of teachers surveyed agreed that Ofsted is not a ‘reliable and trusted arbiter of standards’.

Beyond Ofsted, which was set up to develop principles for underpinning a better inspection system as well as proposals for an alternative approach, will publish its recommendations later this month.

Jim Knight, the Labour peer and former schools minister who is chairman of the inquiry, said: ‘The strength of feeling about the failings of the current system is clearly universal across the teaching profession. Our aim is to identify what is needed to make it fairer and more effective.’

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: ‘The inspection regime is a blunt instrument which fails to engage with the realities in schools. Ofsted’s four stark grades are clearly inadequate and cannot take into account the unique context a particular school may face, and its achievements within that context.’

File photo shows a school teacher looking stressed next to piles of classroom books. A poll also found that 74% described their experiences with the education watchdog as ‘negative’.

Tom Middlehurst, inspection specialist for the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘This research could hardly be more damning and shows that new chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has a mountain to climb in building trust in the inspection system.

‘The key action needed is removal of the use of blunt, single-phrase judgments which are punitive and counterproductive.’

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