Ofsted and School Improvement: Teachers' perceptions of the inspection process in schools facing challenging circumstances

This article reports the preliminary findings from an ongoing study investigating teachers' views of The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) as a mechanism for improving secondary schools in challenging contexts. A case study approach in ten recently inspected secondary schools was utilised to address three research questions. First, how do teachers perceive the inspection process? Second, to what extent does Ofsted inspection generate changes in teaching and non-teaching practice in schools in challenging circumstances? And third, does Ofsted inspection identify similar priorities for change to those identified internally by schools in challenging circumstances? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, survey and examination of documentary evidence. Findings to date highlight a number of common themes that illuminate the complex nature of the relationship between Ofsted inspection and the change process in these schools.