Performance in primary schools

Data for this paper were collected from the OFSTED database on Hampshire primary schools. The schools in Southampton and Portsmouth were used in order to assess the factors that influence their productive efficiency. The data set included 19 variables on 176 schools and was analysed by means of Data Envelopment Analysis. Contextual variables, not included in the efficiency analysis, were used to explain the sources of inefficiency. It was found that religious orientation, parental influence and level of exclusions all impacted on the ability of a school to deliver the best possible results in standard assessment tests. This study is set within local and national priorities in education. (OFSTED is the body which inspects and assesses schools in the UK.)