One third of schools "mediocre or worse"

[Bramshott]

Not sure what to make of this headline. Is this all just Ofsted hot air? It seems to be all set up to imply that there's a major education crisis in this country, and that core subjects are suffering (and there was me thinking that core subjects were over-emphasised!), but the impression I get from parents in RL and on here is that most people think their school is a good school.

Discuss . . . . (!)

Isn't mediocre a grumpier way of saying average? And aren't most schools, in the nature of things, going to be average? Just depends on where the average lies, evidently.

I was more concerned by the fifth of schools that had previously been rated outstanding that are now mediocre. That is what happened to our local primary and it has taken 6 years for it to improve.

Given that there are lots of mediocre people about it is hardly surprising that there are going to be lots of mediocre schools. Just as there are lots of mediocre hospitals, shops, roads, restaurants and every other form of human organisation...

I don't understand what the fuss is about. Of course there are plenty of average/satisfactory schools. Satisfactory means 'good enough', but with room for improvement. If you look at the blue text box halfway down the report here, the percentage of schools in the different grades has improved since last year.

Wasn't there a similar report a while ago, with commentators wringing their hands in distress about the fact that only a minority of nurseries were rated as 'outstanding'? That's what 'outstanding' means - an especially good minority that stands out as different from the rest. It is physically and logically impossible for most children to attend outstanding schools.

IMO the main was to improve the quality of education would be to reduce class sizes, but there's no mention of that.

All very good points.

I loved the crap statistics in that BBC article you linked to melpomene - "72% of serious case reviews adequate or inadequate"!! Well either they were adequate or they were inadequate - no info on what percentage were which!!

It seems it isn't enough to be just ordinary any more.