Schools in the poorest areas are getting better Ofsted grades, but there is still a huge gap with their wealthier counterparts, new analysis suggests.
Experts also point out it is not possible to say how much of the rise is simply because of more ‘good’ grades now being issued – and poorer schools are now actually less likely to get ‘outstanding’.
Chief inspector Amanda Spielman pledged at the start of her tenure that the 2019 inspection framework would “reward schools in challenging circumstances that are raising standards through strong curricula”.
She had said the old framework, which focused more on results, had made it “harder to get a good or outstanding grade if your test scores are low” as a result of a “challenging or deprived intake”.
