| Title: |
'A Tipping Point' in Teacher Retention and Accountability: The Case of Inspection |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Jane Perryman (ORCID 0000-0001-6880-8661); Alice Bradbury (ORCID 0000-0003-3269-6199); Graham Calvert (ORCID 0009-0007-6460-7556); Katie Kilian (ORCID 0000-0003-2712-9296) |
| Source: |
British Journal of Educational Studies. 2025 73(2):181-200. |
| Availability: |
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
20 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Elementary Education; Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: |
Teacher Persistence; Accountability; Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; Institutional Evaluation; Evaluation Methods; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Administrators; Elementary School Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Retirement; Teacher Welfare; Family Work Relationship; Teaching Conditions; Work Attitudes; Inspection |
| Geographic Terms: |
United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: |
10.1080/00071005.2024.2439791 |
| ISSN: |
0007-1005; 1467-8527 |
| Abstract: |
Accountability policy and its negative effects on teachers' working lives and retention is internationally recognised as a problem in education with school evaluation and inspection being a particular issue, particularly in England. Research suggests that the school inspection system Ofsted impacts negatively on the health and well-being of staff and negatively influences teachers' working practices, which can affect teacher retention. This paper examines the findings of a recent English research project entitled 'Beyond Ofsted' (2023) which aimed to gather a wide range of views on both the current inspection system and potential alternatives. The data discussed in this paper is from part of the data collection which was a large-scale survey of teachers and school leaders. One of the findings of the Beyond Ofsted report was that 76% of our survey respondents thought that Ofsted had a negative effect on retention, with 30% considering leaving as a result of their most recent inspection. We found many reasons for this: the overall experience of inspection, the work in preparing for inspection, and many describing the regime as 'toxic and brutal'. We argue that this is a compelling argument for urgent reform. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1467474 |
| Database: |
ERIC |