# Providing educational accountability for Local Authorities based upon sampling pupils within schools: moving away from simplistic school league tables

**Authors:** Harvey Goldstein, George Leckie, Lucy Prior  
**arXiv:** [2002.09897](https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.09897)  
**Date:** 2020-02-23  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2002.09897v1/

## Key points

- Authors propose an alternative educational accountability system for England
- System aims to move away from simplistic school league tables towards more nuanced reporting at education authority or school group level
- Based on sampling pupils within schools and using quantitative pupil assessment data as screening devices
- Integrated accountability framework includes inspection
- Potential to eliminate negative effects and curriculum distortions of current system
- Emphasize importance of providing richer data for research and accountability purposes
- Proposals may be relevant for other phases of schooling and similar systems in different countries
- Past efforts to modify or abandon traditional league tables in favor of meaningful discussions with schools focused on improvement rather than punishment or shaming highlighted
- Recent trends show growing recognition of limitations of numerical summaries in school comparisons, with a shift towards internal and external reviews by Ofsted
- Authors urge policymakers to prioritize meaningful dialogue and support for schools over simplistic ranking systems
- Implementing alternative accountability system within context of school improvement can greatly benefit students' education without causing unnecessary pressure or distortions

## Summary

The authors propose an alternative educational accountability system for England that aims to move away from simplistic school league tables towards a more nuanced reporting system at the level of education authorities or other school groupings. The proposed system is based on sampling pupils within schools and utilizing quantitative pupil assessment data as screening devices to provide evidence within an integrated accountability framework that includes inspection. They argue that this approach has the potential to eliminate the negative effects and curriculum distortions associated with the current system. The authors stress the importance of providing a richer set of data for both research and accountability purposes. While their focus is on the English secondary school system, they suggest that their proposals may also be relevant for other phases of schooling and similar systems in different countries. They highlight past efforts to modify or abandon traditional league tables in favor of meaningful discussions with schools focused on improvement rather than punishment or shaming. Recent trends, such as Ofsted's shift towards using internal and external reviews to assist management and adjust curriculum procedures, indicate a growing recognition of the limitations of numerical summaries in school comparisons. In light of these developments, the authors urge policymakers to consider alternative approaches that prioritize meaningful dialogue and support for schools over simplistic ranking systems. By implementing this alternative accountability system within a context of school improvement, it has the potential to greatly benefit students' education without causing unnecessary pressure or distortions in curriculum planning.