Government will scrap one phrase Ofsted grading
Labour will scrap one-word Ofsted judgments despite warnings it could harm pupils by dumbing down standards.
From today, all new school inspections will no longer brand them ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.
Instead, schools will get ratings for individual sub-categories – and from next year the grading system could be scrapped altogether.
The move has delighted teaching unions, which have campaigned for it but were snubbed by the previous Tory government. Yesterday, shadow education secretary Damian Hinds said scrapping the ‘vital’ headline inspection outcome ‘is not in the best interest of pupils or parents’.
And former Tory schools minister Nick Gibb added: ‘If the Ofsted judgments are not crystal clear, the danger is they cease to be something parents look at when choosing a school. You run the risk of overall standards declining.’
Shadow education secretary Damian Hinds said scrapping ‘vital’ headline inspection outcomes was ‘not in the best interest of pupils or parents’
Former Tory schools minister Nick Gibb said the move ‘runs the risk of schools declining’
For Ofsted inspections in this academic year, parents will see four grades across the existing sub-categories – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
It is understood the change will not be applied retrospectively to inspections already undertaken. The Government plans to change the system again for September 2025, replacing the format with a ‘report card’.
It said this will ‘provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure inspections are more effective in driving improvement’.
Details of the proposals, which will be subject to consultation, were not announced. But there are fears it could do away with ratings altogether, making it harder to understand.
Mr Gibb said it could be the ‘worst possible’ option, adding: ‘The danger is that it’s full of jargon, or too wordy and like a theatre review.
‘A school can pick out the phrases that it wants to publicise and omit in its publicity the more negative phrases in the report.’
Unions have long campaigned for Ofsted reform but it gathered momentum after the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life while waiting for an Ofsted report which had downgraded her school.
Support for Ofsted reform gathered momentum following the tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life while waiting for a report
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that removing the headline one-word terms was a ‘landmark moment for children, parents and teachers’
In April, the previous Tory government insisted the ratings must stay because they brought ‘significant benefits’.
But last night, the Labour-run Department for Education said they ‘fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment’ of overall school performance and are supported only by a ‘minority’ of parents and teachers.
For now, Ofsted will still be able to use the sub-categories to see which schools are doing badly and need intervention.
The worst-performing ones will still be required to convert to academies and take on new management. But there will be a new system of improvement for those that are struggling but have not hit rock bottom.
Instead of changing management, the Government will prioritise ‘rapidly getting plans in place to improve the education and experience of children’.
From early 2025, the Government will also introduce ‘Regional Improvement Teams’ to work with struggling schools.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘The removal of headline grades is a generational reform and a landmark moment for children, parents and teachers.’
Paul Whiteman, at the National Association of Headteachers, said ‘one-word judgments are harmful and we are pleased the Government has taken swift action to remove them’.
The teachers’ union NASUWT and the National Education Union both described the announcement as ‘a step in the right direction’.