Alleged “misuse” of research findings by Ofsted highlighted in new paper, which says inspectorate based conclusion about pupil motivation on study involving just four children

A series of cases of Ofsted appearing to misrepresent research findings to back up what researchers argue was a pre-existing ideological line, as the inspectorate became “more closely aligned” with ministers, have been set out in a newly-published academic paper.

In an analysis of Ofsted’s review of research in mathematics, academics Ashley Compton and Mark Boylan set out seven concrete examples of findings from studies either not supporting the interpretation the inspectorate put on them, or of the inspectorate making remarkably over-generalised conclusions from tiny studies.

Their paper also found that, overall, only 45 per cent of the research studies cited by Ofsted, as evidence in favour of the points made in its paper, actually did fully support these points, with 26 per cent offering partial support and 28 per cent not supporting.

The detailed critique sees Compton and Boylan concluding that Ofsted had engaged on “policy-based evidence,” whereby evidence had been produced to justify or “mobilise for” pre-existing policy positions held by the inspectorate.

I asked Ofsted for a response, but it pointed me only towards earlier statements it had made after its report had come in for challenge by other maths educators. Ofsted’s responses have also been critiqued by Compton and Boylan.

The detail