Ofsted set to scrap single-word assessments of schools “immediately”

OFSTED has announced plans to scrap the one-word assessments it awards to schools with immediate effect.

The schools inspectorate has laid out plans to replace the assesments with a new “report card” system intended to improve standards of assessment and to help parents better understand the fuller picture of each school’s performance.

New systems will see schools given a grade on quality of education, leadership, levels of personal development, and behaviour.

These were already four metrics which were graded by the inspectorate, but they will now be displayed as individual categories instead of being amalgamated into a discrete overall grading.

The move was among Labour’s pledges ahead of this year’s elections and will come into full effect in September next year.

The new chief of Ofsted put inspections on hold as staff were set to be given more training around mental health back in January.

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The move came shortly after the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Caversham headteacher Ruth Perry, which ruled last December that the schools inspectorate had contributed to her taking her own life in January last year.

Ms Perry’s death sparked national criticism of inspection methods and assessments, with stakeholders including teachers and education unions calling for reform of the “harmful” system.

The coroner said in the report that the inspection of Caversham Primary School had “lacked fairness, respect, and sensitivity,” leading a number of teaching unions to call for a pause on inspections.

He also announced that Ofsted would undergo an internal review so that the standards organisation would be able to meet its legal duties in response to the inquest’s coroner.

Ruth Perry died by suicide following the downgrading of her school from outstanding to inadequate.

In a letter to the coroner, then education secretary Gillian Keegan said Ruth’s death had shocked the department and accepted the findings of the inquest in full.

Professor Julia Waters said: “We are delighted and relieved that the government has decided to take this important and long-overdue step.

“Single word headline judgements are dangerous and reductive. They are unpopular with parents and teachers, and their simplistic impact has made the daily job of improving school standards harder for everyone except the bureaucrats.

“The shame, injustice, and high-stakes consequences of an ‘inadequate’ judgement, together with the rude and intimidating conduct of the inspection itself, were the cause of my sister’s mental deterioration and suicide.

“Single-word judgements are just the most visible feature of a fundamentally flawed inspection system.

“Ofsted’s reign of terror has caused untold harm to headteachers and school staff for too long, with a negative impact on children’s education.”

She added: “I hope this moment marks the beginning of more extensive reform of Ofsted’s punitive inspection system, and the end of its unaccountable and defensive institutional culture.

“Too many people in Ofsted have mistaken nastiness for rigour and inhumanity for efficiency.

“Under the new chief inspector, Ofsted claims to have been listening–with the government’s mandate for change, it is now finally time for Ofsted to act.”

Reading East MP Matt Rodda said: “The government has taken swift action to change the way that Ofsted operates so that reports can be more accurate and fairer.

“They’re scrapping the single word judgment in inspections with immediate effect, and then that will mean that it’s the start of a process of reforming Ofsted.

“The initial step for this year is that four measures will be used to describe school in an Ofsted report, and these are ones that are already assessed when inspectors visit schools.”

He explained: “That’s the that’s the first step– then in 2025 the government is moving further with a report card approach, which will allow for a fairer and more accurate assessment of schools.

“It also provides a much more balanced picture for parents and for teachers.”

Rodda was among those who consulted with Professor Waters, and said that: “From a local perspective, and speaking as a constituency MP, I’m delighted that they’ve taken this swift action.

“It means a huge amount to the family of Ruth Perry, to local residents, parents, children, and also to other teachers and other schools.

“I’m delighted that they’ve taken this step– it’s a really important day and I’m pleased that the government’s taking the swift action.

“There was a need for reform: this is going to make a big difference to local families and parents, for whom this will be a big step forward and a relief.”