‘Failing’ special schools - action planning and recovery from special measures assessments

Abstract

Special schools are four times more likely than mainstream schools to receive special measures inspection assessments. Via documentary analysis and case studies in special schools, which are, or had been subject to special measures, this research examined the ways in which these schools made progress out of special measures. Their progress was found to be related to the conduct of certain planning-related activities which followed inspection. These included the degree to which the whole school community was involved in change, the degree to which responsibility for undertaking tasks was specified, the adequacy of monitoring proposed activity and the realism in scheduling change. Whether these activities happened, depended in turn on the quality of leadership (often effected by a change of headteacher) and on the nature of support received from external advisers. It is concluded that although generic inspection judgements have enabled change in most cases, better targeted advice about necessary change for special schools would be helped by differentiation between inspection themes for special and mainstream education.

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