Revolution in School Evaluations: UK Scraps One-Word Ofsted Ratings Amid Calls for Comprehensive Reform

Single-word Ofsted evaluations for schools will be discontinued effective immediately. This decision comes after consultations with educational stakeholders and relatives of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose suicide followed an Ofsted inspection.

Political journalist @fayebrownSky

Monday, September 2, 2024, 8:

State schools will no longer receive single-word Ofsted ratings, effective immediately, in what is being celebrated as a groundbreaking development for students.

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

Starting this academic year, the Department for Education (DfE) has introduced four new grades under the established sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Starting in September 2025, schools will begin issuing report cards that offer parents a detailed evaluation of school performance, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of inspections and promoting betterment in education, according to the announcement.

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

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

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

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Speaking on Sky News' "Breakfast with Kay Burley," Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated, "Today, we are implementing this change because I think it's important for parents to have better insight into what's happening in our schools, as the current system is failing."

"The stakes are too high, and there isn't a clear enough emphasis on enhancing school standards. This is critical because I want every child to receive an excellent education and a strong foundation for their future."

The new Labour administration has made reform a key goal, committing to improve public education quality and increase funds by imposing a tax on private school tuition fees.

In today's announcement, the government revealed plans to focus on enhancing underperforming schools rather than opting to replace their management teams.

Starting in early 2025, regional enhancement groups will be established to collaborate with schools that are struggling, focusing on improving their areas of deficiency.

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In situations where schools are deemed to be performing extremely poorly, receiving an inadequate rating, the government will maintain its policy of stepping in.

The Department for Education (DfE) mentioned that it might involve implementing an academy order that compels maintained schools to convert into academies, potentially leading to a change in management in certain cases.

Earlier, Ms. Phillipson stated, "It's absolutely evident that we need Ofsted reform to ensure consistently high and improving standards for every child in every school."

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"Eliminating headline grades marks a significant generational shift and a pivotal point for students, parents, and educators."

She also mentioned that grades that summarize performance in one headline are "minimal in informational value for parents and carry significant consequences for schools."

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

"This administration is committed to enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of inspections to foster betterment in schools. We pledged to bring reform, and we are now fulfilling that commitment."

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Changes 'might be more extensive'

The news coincides with students heading back to school this week.

Single headline grades will be eliminated for state schools slated for inspection this academic year, and it is anticipated that independent schools and colleges will also adopt this change subsequently.

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Teaching unions have expressed support for the plans, which they have been advocating for as necessary reforms for some time.

Paul Whiteman, the chief of the National Association of Headteachers, stated: "We have consistently expressed that simple one-word evaluations are damaging, and we are gratified that the government has acted quickly to eliminate them."

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Dr. Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT, acknowledged that the new government has made a commendable choice, but he believes they can do more by abandoning the myth that turning schools into academies is the sole way to enhance them.

"Although today's declarations mark significant progress, without comprehensive and fundamental changes to repair the underlying issues of the flawed accountability system, educators and administrators will still be operating within a defective framework," he stated.

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