Special school Ofsted inspection report cards will no longer compare their cohorts to national mainstream averages after complaints from heads.
Ofsted provides contextual data about schools to parents, including data metrics such as capacity and pupil demographics.
But Schools Week previously reported how special schools were being compared to mainstream schools within the same age range.
The report for Rotherham-based The Willows School, for instance, shows that 100 per cent of pupils have education, health and care plans (EHCPs). But it is unusual for pupils to attend a special school without a plan.
Yet the report card claimed this is “well above” a national average of 3.1 per cent.
It also stated that the 190-pupil school is “well below” an average of 1,067, which related to secondary schools overall, including mainstream.
Ofsted should re-issue reports, says leader
Heads warned Ofsted that this was “unhelpful and misleading”.
New reports published this week simply show the schools’ own data with no comparison. The only comparator was a school’s location deprivation ranking.
However, reports published previously – at least 20 – will not be updated.
Warren Carratt, chief executive of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, said there was “a clear public interest” in re-issuing reports.
He said there was a “drive for families to have greater transparency” and a “relatively small number of reports that would need amending”.
Ofsted did not address this but said: “We considered the feedback from special schools and have made a change to our report cards. We are grateful to those who raised this important issue.”
