The scope of the research will make for interesting reading for both policymakers and professionals within good schools aiming to become outstanding.
To the next level: good schools becoming outstanding
Synopsis
This report analyses the processes by which good schools become outstanding. Based on a desk analysis of noteworthy practice in local 'good to outstanding' projects, it finds that one of the key indicators of school effectiveness is the setting of challenging targets and a good use of arrangements for tracking pupils' progress.
The report addresses the extent to which understanding of what is involved in being an outstanding school is fully articulated and shared, and the implications this has for the criteria used by Ofsted. It also seeks to establish the common features of leadership, organisation, and culture that help good schools become outstanding.
It found that outstanding schools are characterised by a leadership with a clear vision of what the school was hoping to achieve: a curriculum adapted to pupils, as part of an environment in which pupils see themselves as partners in their education, rather than simply passive consumers. All of this tended to be supported by quality assurance processes, rather than simply quality control.