The gap between reality and rhetoric at Ofsted

More than half of parents polled said they looked at Ofsted ratings when choosing a school, but even more said this was less important than the school’s location or reputation.Until very recently, Ofsted has consistently claimed too much.It could never “assure” the quality of education in schools through an objective, value-free evaluation of policy and practice, though it claimed to do so and convinced many parents and politicians that it could deliver on its rhetoric.