Primary Education: Inspections
Education
Philip Hollobone (Kettering, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether a primary school can be inspected by Ofsted and given a level 2 good rating if it has a poor attendance record and poor attainment rates at Key Stage 2.
Nick Gibb (Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
holding answer
This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated
Your recent Parliamentary Question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Where a school has persistently low attainment rates which show little or no sign of improvement, or are in decline, it is highly unlikely that inspectors would judge it to be 'good'. However, there may be some exceptional circumstances. For example, where attainment is low but rising rapidly, and pupils are making good or even outstanding progress, a school might be judged to be 'good'.
Where attendance is well below average and the school has been unable to make improvements, it is unlikely to be judged 'good'. However, where attendance is low but inspection evidence shows that the school is successfully making improvements and attendance has been rising over a sustained period, this may contribute to a judgement that the school is 'good'.