| Title: |
Fearing the 'Clipboard Police': Exploring How Marginalised Schools Experience Ofsted Inspections in an Era of Precarity |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Katie Kilian (ORCID 0000-0003-2712-9296); Jane Perryman (ORCID 0000-0001-6880-8661); Alice Bradbury (ORCID 0000-0003-3269-6199); Graham Calvert (ORCID 0009-0007-6460-7556) |
| Source: |
British Journal of Educational Studies. 2025 73(4):409-428. |
| 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 |
| Descriptors: |
Foreign Countries; Inspection; Educational Assessment; Teacher Attitudes; Emotional Response; Government Role; Disadvantaged Schools; Educational Improvement; Fear; Accountability |
| Geographic Terms: |
United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: |
10.1080/00071005.2025.2489952 |
| ISSN: |
0007-1005; 1467-8527 |
| Abstract: |
Research suggests that the inspection service in England, Ofsted, has negative impacts on teachers and creates a culture of fear and performativity. Of particular concern is Ofsted's potential to harm schools and educators as they are navigating the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, growing child poverty, and crises relating to teacher retention, SEND, and mental health. This paper draws on data collected as part of a national survey and focus groups to explore how Ofsted's inspections and judgements cause stress in schools with the highest student needs and how these schools are situated in the context of wider societal neglect. We focus on the perspectives of teachers that work in schools labelled 'Special Measures', 'Inadequate', or 'Requires Improvement', and teachers serving large numbers of disadvantaged students. This paper argues that Ofsted marginalises the most vulnerable schools, and that school improvement is incompatible with Ofsted's culture of fear and deficit model of accountability. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1478467 |
| Database: |
ERIC |