We’re often asked by students in the Faculty of Education how to reference a report about a school without compromising confidentiality.

In the case of an official report, for example one undertaken by Ofsted, our advice would be not to identify the school, either by name or by quoting the Inspection Report Number.

For referencing purposes in the assignment text, you could refer to 'a school Inspection report (2009) highlighted issues.....’

In the bibliography you could include Ofsted as 'author', year of report, and the 'title' as School Inspection Report' rather than ‘Inspection report for St Jerome R.C. Primary’ or whatever school is named.

For example,

Office for Standards in Education (2010) School Inspection Report. London: OfSTED

For any further advice regarding referencing, please email uniskills@edgehill.ac.uk.