Inspectors from the watchdog Ofsted have been accused of marking down Brighton and Hove schools despite evidence of good performance.
Concerns were highlighted over two schools with at least one other thought to have been adversely affected by inspectors going in with their minds seemingly made up.
The problem was raised at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting at Hove Town Hall this afternoon (Monday 13 October) at a Children and Young People Committee meeting.
A parent governor Amanda Mortensen, who is also a co-opted member of the Children and Young People Committee, highlighted the issue.
She said that when Ofsted visited Westdene Primary School in Brighton the inspectors appeared to have already made up their minds.
It seemed that nothing that anyone at the school could say or do would persuade them from marking it down, she said.
For example, they refused to take into account up-to-date SATS results. These were better than the ones that the imspectors relied on in forming their judgment.
Westdene’s key stage 2 results comfortably exceeded the government’s “floor standards”.
Her remarks came after Hilary Ferries, the council’s head of standards and achievement, presented an update on recent Oftsed verdicts.
The watchdog raised the standard required in schools in the past academic year. As a result some schools previously regarded as good are now likely to be classed as requiring improvement.
The committee was told that St Nicolas CE Primary School in Portslade had been graded as requiring improvement.
When it had a monitoring visit, it appeared to be on track to be classed as good. Its key stage 2 results were comfortably above the government’s “floor standards”.
But when Ofsted returned the watchdog found that it required improvement to the surprise of those running the school.
Another local school to have outperformed local and national averages – the Bilingual Primary School – was also classed as requiring improvement by Ofsted.
In a presentation to parents after the watchdog’s report was published, the school highlighted flaws in the inspection.
It assured parents that it was aiming to improve but said that it would do the same whatever grade it had been awarded.
