This report identifies eight steps that academy schools can take in order to successfully meet the accountability metrics of Ofsted. It may be of particular use to academy school leaders.
Metrics, practice, and implications: lessons from academy schools in the UK
Synopsis
This paper focuses on management perspectives of academy schools, specifically the role of management in achieving good performance metrics against Ofsted expectations.
It finds that those schools that most successfully achieve the performance metrics set by the government tended to make eight changes to their governance and strategy: narrow objectives; improve public image; develop capacity; focus on pupil admissions; concentrate organisational structures; stabilise behaviours; focus on teaching; and develop management systems.
Academies that followed these steps generally achieved their performance goals faster and used fewer resources than those who did not. The findings also highlight the importance of understanding the unintended consequences of setting performance metrics, and that these need to be monitored and reviewed over time.