[MUSIC] >> So, from what you're saying it sounds like the socioeconomic circumstances are a really important factor in how good a school is. >> Oh, absolutely. Well, one of the things that is, is now missing from the inspection framework is any recognition of value-added factors. Now what these are, is an attempt to recognize how a school is doing with the context of its pupils. So, according to measures of, if you take a secondary school for example, a school's value-added score would be based on the attainment of the students as they enter the school. Against the attainments of these students as they leave the school. And obviously, if the students have progressed, then the value-added score would be higher than if they've plateaued or got worse. So if you look at value-added scores of schools where the attainment is very low. That should indicate that it's a good school, but although that used to be part of the offset inspection framework, it now no longer is, so they just look at, look at raw scores and raw data. >> What you're saying is that a school in an area with challenging socioeconomic circumstances might actually be adding a lot of value. >> Absolutely. >> But conversely, a, a school in less challenging economic circumstances. Actually the school might be coasting, and actually they may not be making that much of a difference to those children's education. >> Yes, and actually that was, that was a subject of much debate a few years ago. And at one point, inspection teams were targeting the schools in, shall we say, the more middle class areas where there didn't appear to be much improvement year on year. I think politically, there seems to be more mileage in inspecting the schools where it can be said that attainment is low. >> So you've been quite critical of school inspection system, is, is there an alternative? >> Well, I think that in many ways inspection system has not really kept pace with, with changes in schools and school systems. Schools these days tend to work much more in networks and partnerships than they used to. And I would see the, the one size fits all of that framework, which didn't work for individual schools, works even less for networks of local schools. So I would like to see some form of evaluation system, just to not use the word inspection. Which focuses on, on local schools and their local issues. And on the partner schools. And inspects, if you will, a school within its local context. And also guide schools on where they can improve. A lot of the, the criticism of the current inspection system is, is they come in, they give a judgement, and they leave. Based on, on the feedback, the school then has to work out some sort of method by which they can improve, but the inspectors don't actually help and give guidance. So, I would like to see inspectors working in partnership with schools if inspectors and Ofsted, Ofsted in this country and inspection in generally is aimed at improving schools then they should help schools to improve within their local context, not just judge them. >> So, what you're suggesting is more developmental than punitive. >> Absolutely. There needs to be more trust put into schools and teachers and leaders of schools that they also want their schools to improve. So they could then do honest self evaluations where they actually say what they think is wrong with their school and invite inspectors in to help them solve the problem. At the moment. If, for example, one of the problems in your school is low literacy levels, you don't advertise it to Ofsted. You hope they don't notice.
