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SCHOOL INSPECT IONS
An Inspector Calls W H A T O F S T E D R E P O R T S ( A N D T H E I R I N D E P E N D E N T S C H O O L E Q U I V A L E N T , I S I ) A R E S A Y I N G A B O U T Y O U R C H I L D ’ S S C H O O L
hile they’re undoubtedly sweetness and light in their private lives, school inspectors don’t have many friends while they’re at work. To the headteachers and staff of the schools they’re inspecting they’re probably as close to a living nightmare as it gets. Their verdict on a school will determine its fate for the next months or years to come. A good rating will shunt a school straight to the top of every parents’ open day list while a poor inspection report can have an instant impact on its popularity. Since 1839, when the government of the day decided that schools would only get their funding if they let the inspectors in, school inspections have been going strong. But for many decades, what was missing was a simple way of comparing schools. For parents, finding the right school was often down to reputation, hearsay, a bit of good old-fashioned detective work and a dollop of good luck. Today, prospective parents aren’t just offered information, they’re awash with the stuff. That’s largely down to the creation of Ofsted in the 1990s, which brought in a rigorous inspection regime supplemented W
SPRING/SUMMER 2020
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