ABSTRACT
There is plenty of incentive for them to do so. Schools with good OFSTED reports and little absenteeism can be absented from the next round of inspections. A second tier of schools that receive good to moderate reports in the first or second round of inspections may be given ‘a lighter touch’ in the planning for their next OFSTED: the visiting team focusing solely on areas of concern in a school’s previous report and their subsequent action plan on such issues as attendance. However, those schools who are judged to be underperforming, or who have attendance rates below 90 per cent, often with related behavioural difficulties, can now be subject to even greater scrutiny by OFSTED. Moreover, schools with an average daily attendance of less than 90 per cent have to be both inspected and evaluated by OFSTED especially on the progress which they are making to improve attendance in the school.
