Revolution in School Assessments: Ofsted Scraps One-Word Ratings Following Tragic Incident and Sector Consultation

Immediate Removal of Single-Word Ofsted School Ratings

This decision comes after consultations with educational professionals and relatives of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose suicide was linked to a stressful Ofsted inspection.

Political correspondent @fayebrownSky

Monday, September 2, 2024, 8:

Ofsted's practice of issuing single-word evaluations for public schools has been immediately discontinued, a change celebrated as a "significant milestone for children."

Before, the educational oversight body assigned one of four ratings to the schools it evaluated: excellent, satisfactory, needs enhancement, or unsatisfactory.

Starting this academic year, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced that four new grades will be assigned within the current sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Starting in September 2025, school report cards will be implemented, offering parents a detailed evaluation of school performance and enhancing the impact of inspections on promoting progress, the statement explained.

The modification comes after discussions with educational stakeholders and relatives of headteacher Ruth Perry, who died by suicide following an Ofsted evaluation that downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from "outstanding" to "inadequate" due to issues with safeguarding.

In 2022, an inquest by the coroner determined that flaws in the inspection procedure played a role in her demise

The Department for Education stated that simplistic, single phrase grades do not offer a just and precise evaluation of a school's overall performance. They noted that this reform will assist in eliminating obstacles to opportunity.

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On Sky News' "Breakfast with Kay Burley," Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson expressed, "Today, we're implementing this change as I think it's essential for parents to have better insights into what is happening in our schools, given that our current system is failing."

"The risks are too significant, and it lacks a clear emphasis on improving our educational standards. This is crucial as I desire for every child to receive an excellent education and a strong foundation for their future."

The new Labour administration has made reform a key objective, committing to enhance the quality of public education and to increase funding by imposing a tax on fees from private schools.

In today's announcement, the government declared its intention to focus on enhancing programs for schools that are underperforming, shifting away from strategies that involve changing leadership.

Starting in early 2025, regional enhancement groups will be deployed to collaborate with schools that are falling short, aiming to improve areas of deficiency.

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In situations where schools are deemed to be performing poorly, receiving an inadequate rating, government intervention will persist.

The Department for Education (DfE) stated that this process might involve implementing an academy order that compels maintained schools to convert into academies, potentially resulting in a shift to new management in certain cases.

Ms. Phillipson previously stated, "It is abundantly evident that reforming Ofsted is essential to elevate and maintain high standards for every child in every school."

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"Eliminating headline grades marks a pivotal reform and a significant milestone for students, parents, and educators."

She also mentioned that summary grades provide "minimal information for parents and carry significant consequences for schools."

"Parents need a more comprehensive and transparent understanding of school performance, and our report cards are designed to offer just that."

"This administration is committed to enhancing the role of inspections, making them a more effective and more transparent mechanism for advancing school progress. We pledged to bring about change, and we are now fulfilling that promise."

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Changes 'might be more extensive'

The news breaks as students head back to school this week.

The elimination of individual headline grades will be implemented in state schools scheduled for inspection this academic year, with plans for similar changes in independent schools and colleges to occur subsequently.

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Teaching unions have expressed their approval of the plans, having advocated for changes for some time.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, stated: "We have consistently stated that simplistic single-word evaluations are damaging, and we are gratified that the government has acted quickly to eliminate them."

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NASUWT General Secretary Dr. Patrick Roach commended the new government for making a "correct choice," but suggested they could do more to "dispel the myth that turning schools into academies is the sole path to the necessary enhancements in education."

"Although today's declarations mark significant progress, the reality persists that without comprehensive and fundamental changes to correct the underlying issues of the flawed accountability system, teachers and school leaders will still operate within an imperfect framework," he stated.

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