DfE’s “swift” school intervention drive failing on own terms?

Four years ago, a Department for Education spokesperson responded to Labour plans for a shake-up of the academies and free schools system by arguing that these schools were held “more rigorously to account” than was possible in the non-academy sector.

Specifically, the spokesperson argued, turnarounds could be quicker in academies, as “local authorities have presided over schools which have been in special measures year on year and done nothing – there are 40 council-run schools that have been in special measures for 18 months or longer”.

So, having recently analysed figures which suggest the DfE is still having a problem effecting quick turnarounds, I decided to look at the latest data from Ofsted.

And these show that the situation is virtually unchanged from that of 2014, when the DfE had thought it so bad that the data were worth highlighting in that criticism of Labour's proposed policy.

For 43 schools have been in special measures for at least 18 months, the latest Ofsted data (based on the situation at March 31^st, 2018) show.