One in 14 secondary schools in Merseyside are currently rated “outstanding” - but some are facing a fresh inspection as Ofsted works to update grades that were handed out several years ago.
The latest data available shows that, as of the end of March, six state-run secondary schools in Merseyside had been awarded Ofsted’s highest rating of “outstanding”.
They are among 551 outstanding secondary schools in England. But only 95 of those outstanding schools - including two in Merseyside - have been inspected since the pandemic, from June 2021.
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The rest had not been visited by Ofsted inspectors for a full graded inspection since they were first awarded the highest status - in some cases as long ago as 2007.
That is mainly because outstanding primary and secondary schools were exempt from routine inspection between 2012 and 2020.
Visits to schools from Ofsted inspectors were then paused for 18 months during the pandemic, with the watchdog now working to clear the backlog.
In Merseyside, 7% of state-run secondary schools are currently rated outstanding. Of the rest 58% are classed as “good”, 26% “require improvement” and 9% are “inadequate”.
You can see which schools have been rated outstanding in your area - both since the pandemic and before then - using this interactive map.
