Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32488912›Full record

ArticleJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2021

School quality ratings are weak predictors of students' achievement and well-being.

Sophie von Stumm, Emily Smith-Woolley, Rosa Cheesman, Jean-Baptiste Pingault, Kathryn Asbury, Philip S Dale, Rebecca Allen, Yulia Kovas, Robert Plomin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sophie von StummPsychology in Education Research Centre, Department of Education, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0447-5471
Emily Smith-WoolleyThe Physiological Society, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7822-9070
Rosa CheesmanMRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6543-0402
Jean-Baptiste PingaultMRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8852-1836
Kathryn AsburyPsychology in Education Research Centre, Department of Education, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0011-457X
Philip S DaleDepartment of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7697-8510
Rebecca AllenSchool of Education, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK.
Yulia KovasLaboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioural Genetics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia.ORCID 0000-0001-9633-6374
Robert PlominMRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0756-3629

Funding

Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development & cognitive aging (CATSLife2)R01AG046938 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · PI REYNOLDS, CHANDRA A, WADSWORTH, SALLY J · 2015 to 2024
$18.5M
Medical Research Council G0901245Medical Research Council G19/2Medical Research Council MR/M021475/1NIA NIH HHS R01 AG046938
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn England, all state-funded schools are inspected by an independent government agency, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Inspections aim to hold schools accountable and to promote the improvement of education, with the results made available to the public. Ofsted reports intend to index school quality, but their influence on students' individual outcomes has not been previously studied. The aim of the current study was to explore the extent to which school quality, as indexed by Ofsted ratings, is associated with students' educational achievement, well-being and school engagement.

methodsWe use an England population-based sample of 4,391 individuals, for whom school performance at age 11 and GCSE grades at age 16 were accessed from the National Pupil Database, and who completed measures of well-being and school engagement at age 16.

resultsWe found that Ofsted ratings of secondary school quality accounted for 4% of the variance in students' educational achievement at age 16, which was further reduced to 1% of the variance after we accounted for prior school performance at age 11 and family socioeconomic status. Furthermore, Ofsted ratings were weak predictors of school engagement and student well-being, with an average correlation of .03.

conclusionOur findings suggest that differences in school quality, as indexed by Ofsted ratings, have little relation to students' individual outcomes. Accordingly, our results challenge the usefulness of Ofsted ratings as guides for parents and students when choosing secondary schools.

Indexed as

Academic PerformanceAcademic SuccessAdolescentChildEducational StatusHumansSchoolsStudentseducational achievementOfstedschool engagementSchool qualitywell-being

Identifiers

PMID32488912
PMCPMC8298902

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.