Education Secretary told off over ‘misleading’ school data

Education Secretary damian Hinds has been warned by a watchdog over his department’s use of ‘incorrect’ data on schools.

Sir david norgrove, chairman of the UK Statistics authority, wrote to Mr Hinds to raise ‘serious concerns’ about the department for Education’s use of figures. in particular, he warned the DFE had painted an unduly ‘favourable picture’ of funding in schools in a recent tweet.

His intervention has delighted teaching unions who have long refuted the DFE’s position that schools are well funded. they say schools are at ‘crisis’ point and have accused the tories of starving headteachers of money.

in a letter to Mr Hinds published yesterday, Sir david urged

‘Undermining confidence’

the DFE to ensure data is properly presented ‘in a way that does not mislead’. He said he had ‘serious concerns about the DFE’s presentation and use of statistics’. and he added that ‘instances such as these do not help to promote trust and confidence in official data, and indeed risk undermining them’.

Sir david also highlighted a recent DFE blog which insisted the UK was one of the highest spenders on education in the world. However, it later emerged this figure, from the organisation for Economic co-operation and development, included spending which was not related to state schools, such as university fees and those paid by private school pupils.

But a DFE spokesman said there were ‘several statistics in the OECD report that demonstrate the UK is among the highest spenders on education at primary and secondary level’. Replying to Sir david’s letter, Mr Hinds said there was a need to be clear about different kinds of funding and spending.