Inspectors let private schools off lightly

Inspection teams which monitor standards on behalf of independent schools are too reluctant to criticise poor heads and senior teachers, according to the Government's schools inspectorate.

And the inspectors, organised by associations representing independent schools, should be more prepared to say unequivocally that standards are not high enough.

Two reports from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) examined the inspections systems used by the five major independent school associations and covering more than 1,300 schools.

Ofsted concluded that the inspections were usually objective, rigorous and helped schools improve, but inspectors needed to do more to discover whether pupils in independent schools, which are usually selective, were fulfilling their potential.

The reports look at the system operated by top public schools in the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and the Accreditation, Review and Consultancy Service (ARCS) one used by other independent schools.

On HMC inspections, the report says that there are considerable strengths and considerable defects. "In most HMC schools it is to be expected that standards of attainment are well above national norms, given the advantages which the schools and pupils generally enjoy. Few of the reports seriously tackle the key question of whether, given these circumstances, the progress pupils make is all that it should be."

Ofsted says ARCS inspections provide a useful agenda which most schools take seriously but "there is a tendency in some teams to fight shy of criticism of senior management." In addition, the team leader rarely checks the quality of the evidence provided by the team.

Where inspectors use exam results to compare standards in independent schools with those in other schools "a significant number use the results for all maintained schools which will tend to flatter these schools, many of which are to some extent selective."

Both systems should be more transparent to parents, Ofsted says. Publication of the reports is at the schools' discretion. HMC schools give parents a summary, but they are not entitled to the full report as they would be in the state sector. Both systems meet their own, different objectives, but both need to address weaknesses if they wish to gain full credibility.

Vivian Anthony, secretary of HMC, said: "We are pleased that Ofsted recognises that schools are being improved as a result of inspection. It is no surprise, that, after an operation of less than three years, there are some weaknesses; these will be addressed."

Averil Burgess, ARCS chairman, said they vindicated inspections in their two main objectives - to give assurance on standards and contribute to school improvement. The organisation is to press ahead with establishing reliable ways of assessing pupils' ability across the full range of schools.