Ofsted: Council-maintained schools in England outperforming academies, research finds

Council-maintained schools in England consistently achieve higher Ofsted ratings than academies, according to research conducted for the Local Government Association (LGA). The study found that, as of January 31 93% of council-maintained schools were ranked “outstanding” or “good” by Ofsted, while only 87% of academies achieved the same grades after conversion.

Similarly, in January 2022, 92% of council-maintained schools received “outstanding” or “good” ratings, compared to 85% of academies following their conversion. The research also highlighted that academies faced challenges in improving standards, with only 57% managing to upgrade from “inadequate” or “requires improvement” to “good” or “outstanding”, while 73% of council-maintained schools achieved such improvements.

According to the Guardian, these findings have reignited the debate over “forced academisation,” especially in light of the government’s ambition to have all schools join multi-academy trusts (Mats) by 2030.

While 73% of academies voluntarily chose to become such institutions, others were compelled to do so after receiving “inadequate” ratings from Ofsted or consecutive “requires improvement” ratings.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, has previously said the move towards academisation could penalise the nearly 50% of all pupils taught in locally maintained schools who already receive a good education. The government should instead focus on properly funding and resourcing all schools, he added.

The research has prompted various education stakeholders, including the National Education Union, to question the shift away from council-maintained schools. Presently, around 80% of secondary schools and 40% of primaries are academies, and councils have not been able to open maintained schools since 2012.

Between August 2018 and January 2023, 72% of council-maintained schools retained their “outstanding” rating, compared with 60% of “outstanding” academies that did not inherit grades from their former maintained school status.

About 40% of academies which did not inherit a grade fell by at least one grade, compared with 28% of maintained schools, which the LGA said showed councils should be seen as effective education partners.