CATHOLIC AND OTHER SECONDARY-SCHOOLS - AN ANALYSIS OF OFSTED INSPECTION REPORTS, 1993-95

It is now generally accepted that schools differ in their effectivenes s as places of learning. There is a considerable amount of evidence ab out the characteristics of effective schools but little knowledge of h ow they can be developed. Accumulated evidence from Office for Standar ds in Education (OFSTED) inspections, carried out under the provisions of section 9 of the Education Act 1992, provides the potential for na tional comparisons of different types of school across local authoriti es. Findings based on an analysis of the data suggest that, in the jud gement of school inspectors based on OFSTED criteria, Catholic seconda ry schools provide a statistically significant higher standard and qua lity of education than others in the maintained sector. Possible socio logical reasons for the findings and their contribution to the 'effect ive schools' debate are discussed.