Birmingham school accused of misleading Ofsted to gain better marks

Feb 11 2010 By Edward Chadwick

Birmingham NUT deputy general secretary Nigel Baker said: “I know issues have been raised with the school and the local authority have been incredibly dilatory and have allowed rumours to circulate.

“If they had acted promptly it would have been sorted out.

“Instead of exploring the case against them, not one person has been interviewed and they have had that information for months.

“There is a collective grievance process but so far we have failed to agree terms of reference.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the allegations and they are being investigated.”

A spokesman for Ofsted said: “Ofsted does not comment on whether a complaint has been received about a school.”

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Ofsted pressure is too much for schools – expert

An expert of educational research at the University of Birmingham said Ofsted inspections place a huge burden of pressure on schools and present a bureaucratic nightmare.

Professor Stephen Gorard said senior teachers often responded with endless preparation which could put a strain on classes.

Poor marks can ruin a school’s reputation for years to come and make or break careers.

“Because of the consequences of Ofsted marks, there is pressure on schools and you would expect that they would want to present their best face,” said Prof Gorard.

“It’s no difference from a factory unlocking its fire doors for a health and safety inspection and one can’t blame schools for doing that.”

Prof Gorard said he wasn’t able to comment on the allegations made about St Edmund Campion but said serious malpractice was not commonplace.

“Something of that nature sounds out of the ordinary but schools do work hard to give the best impression,” he said.

Changes made to the way Ofsted evaluates schools meant inspectors relied heavily on existing measurements, said the former teacher.

Inspections have been shortened to two days from a full week and Prof Gorard said it meant that inspectors could miss areas of excellence.

“Most teachers see Ofsted inspections as a disruption to their normal teaching,” he added.

“There’s an element of wanting to put on a good show and if you are confident about your teaching it’s not a bad experience. But it’s an extra challenge and it can cause some schools to get exasperated. There is a lot of extra preparation to do and it can become a bureaucratic nightmare.”