Ofsted has defied calls to reinspect hundreds of schools already visited under its new framework once measures to better understand local context are introduced. The watchdog announced this week that, from September, as well as comparing a school’s performance to national averages, inspectors will also consider the performance of “similar schools”. It follows growing concern among school leaders that Ofsted’s new framework penalises schools with poorer cohorts because of its focus on attainment and use of national averages. Those concerns deepened when Ofsted acknowledged this week the “relationship” between disadvantage and performance against its ‘achievement’ judgment. Its analysis of more than 900 inspections conducted since November revealed schools with above-average free school meals rates are almost three times as likely as those with below-average levels to be graded ‘needs attention’ or ‘urgent improvement’ for achievement. Schools Week analysis of further data published by Ofsted on Wednesday suggested a similar pattern for attendance and behaviour – which also uses national averages to assess school performance. Almost one-quarter (24 per cent) of schools in the top quintile …