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Incorporating HC 799-i and ii, session 2008-09

Response to HC 131, session 2009-10 (ISBN 9780215545176)

This report considers the roles of a variety of different agents for accountability in the English school system. The first part examines self-evaluation, self-improvement partners and local authorities. Schools have increasingly been encouraged to formalise the self-evaluation process as part of their improvement strategy. They are assisted in their self-evaluation and improvement processes by School Improvement Partners (SIPs) who are appointed by the local authority. School provision is commissioned by local authorities, who also have a remit to monitor local schools' performance. The report then focuses on the work of Ofsted. School inspection reports are a major source of information about a school's performance, and inspection is often the trigger for a school to address its performance issues. The report then looks at the Achievement and Attainment Tables, formerly known as performance tables. The tables have been the subject of controversy for many years because, although they do not actually rank schools according to their performance in national examinations, they permit others, especially the media, to do so. Critics argue that they give only a partial view of a school's overall performance, and the proposed School Report Card is an attempt to address this issue by providing more information on a wider range of performance indicators. The school accountability process has become very complex with new programmes and policies emerging piecemeal from central government. There are concerns about the consistency of approach in such a complex system. And are schools really free to drive their own improvement given that they are still subject to programmes devised and applied by central government?

Responses to HC 88-I (ISBN 9780215543066)

Children, Schools and Families Bill : Amendments to be moved in Committee

Children, Schools and Families Bill : Marshalled list of amendments to be moved in Committee