The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) Accountability Commission has just published its final report on Improving School Accountability (external link). The review focuses on school performance measures and the role of Ofsted.
The commission aimed to address perceived flaws in the current accountability system. This includes: incentivising schools to act in their own interests rather than that of the wider community; narrowing the curriculum and encouraging teaching to the test; putting teachers and school leaders off working in challenging settings; and driving good people from the profession.
The report makes these recommendations:
- Comparative performance data (based on a three-year average) should be used to inform Ofsted judgements.
- The Department for Education (DfE) should use ‘requires improvement’ as the trigger for funded school improvement support.
- Ofsted’s role should be reformed, with a focus on identifying failure and diagnosing reasons behind a school’s struggles.
- ‘Outstanding’ schools should be subject to regular inspection.
- The ‘Outstanding’ judgement should be replaced by a robust system for identifying excellent practice.
- Ofsted should commission research into the format and nature of inspection required.
- National accreditation arrangements should be developed for peer review programmes.
- Alternative national standards for head teachers should be developed.
- The DfE’s careers progression strategy should incorporate support for recently appointed head teachers.
This report comes when Ofsted is planning the rollout of its new inspection framework, which it will implement from September 2019. With fears expressed that Ofsted is planning large-scale changes without giving teachers and system leaders’ time to reflect on or embed the changes, NAHT argue that Ofsted is at a “cross-road” and should carefully consider the findings of the accountability commission before launching a new system of inspection.
The report says little on the role of governing boards in the accountability system. However, governing boards have an important role to play in ensuring that schools react to the pressures of accountability in an ethical manner, remain mindful of the needs of the whole community and resist any pressure to narrow the curriculum.