Sunderland's education leaders welcome move to abolish single judgement Ofsted grades for schools

Under the previous framework, schools were given an overall judgment of inadequate, requires improvement, good or outstanding.

However on Monday (September 2) the Department for Education (DfE) announced “single headline grades for schools will be scrapped with immediate effect”.

An independent review of the inspection process by Dame Christine Gilbert was commissioned after an inquest concluded a critical inspection had “contributed” to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry who took her own life after learning her school was set to be judged inadequate. On Tuesday, September 3, the findings of the review were published which said the response by Ofsted to Mrs Perry’s death was ‘defensive and complacent’.

Speaking this week, Mrs Perry’s sister, Prof Julia Waters said: “It is utterly hypocritical that Ofsted hold schools to such high levels of accountability when refusing to be held accountable themselves.”

The outcomes of the inquest did lead Ofsted to launch its ‘Big Listen’; a consultation with education professionals and parents to give their views on the inspection process.

The move to abolish overall headline grades has been welcomed by Southmoor Academy headteacher and CEO of the Aspire North East Multi Academy Trust, Joanne Maw.

Ms Maw said: “I welcome the decision to move away from single word Ofsted judgements.

“From what I've read about the timeline for planned changes, they appear to have been carefully considered and are likely to provide more meaningful information to parents.

“It's reassuring that Sir Martyn Oliver (Ofsted’s chief inspector) has readily accepted the need for change and that the outcomes from the recent 'Big Listen' are being used to shape the future of Ofsted inspections.

“As school leaders we acknowledge the need for high levels of accountability, but the plan to reduce many of the associated pressures, including the one-word judgements, is a positive move in the right direction.”

Whilst an overall judgement will not now be applied to schools, for the current academic year they will still be given individual grades on the current inspection areas of quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

This will pave the way for a more detailed style ‘report card’ to be introduced in 2025 - something which the DfE say is supported by 77% of parents.

The move has also been welcomed by Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Skills, Councillor Michael Butler.

Cllr Butler said: “We welcome the changes to Ofsted’s single line gradings. It’s clear the old system wasn’t working as reducing schools to a single word often failed to capture the full scope of what they offer.

“Schools are far more complex and the new approach recognises this, allowing a more accurate reflection of both their strengths and areas for improvement.

“Not only will this benefit the children, but it will also reduce pressure on staff, enabling them to focus on what truly matters—the education and welfare of our children.

“Crucially, this new way of working will help drive up standards by encouraging continuous improvement, rather than focusing on labels. This will foster a healthier environment for both staff and students, ensuring that the focus remains on delivering the highest quality education possible.”

A number of schools in recent years have been deemed inadequate due to safeguarding issues, despite scoring good or outstanding in all other areas.

Any concerns with safeguarding will override all other aspects of the report and place the school in the bottom Ofsted category.

Under the new framework there will be a three-month pause in the publication of reports for schools where safeguarding concerns have been raised but are otherwise high performing. This will give school leaders time to address any concerns before inspectors revisit the school.

A key figure behind the abolishing of single grade judgements and the move to a new framework is Secretary of State for Education and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, Bridget Phillipson.

Mrs Phillipson said: “The need for Ofsted reform to drive high and rising standards for all our children in every school is overwhelmingly clear.

“The removal of headline grades is a generational reform and a landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers.

“Single headline grades are low information for parents and high stakes for schools. Parents deserve a much clearer, much broader picture of how schools are performing – that’s what our report cards will provide.

“This government will make inspection a more powerful, more transparent tool for driving school improvement. We promised change, and now we are delivering.”

Speaking about the changes, Ofsted Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said: “I promised the Big Listen would be followed by real change and this is the beginning of a new chapter for Ofsted as we reset our priorities, refine our practices and rebuild our relationships.

“We want to retain the confidence of the children, parents and carers we work for, and regain the respect of the committed professionals we work with.  

“The tragic death of Ruth Perry was a catalyst for this change, but the case for change has been building for years.

“We recognise the growing challenges facing education and social care, particularly since the pandemic.

“We don’t want to add to this pressure and many of the changes we are introducing are aimed at reducing the pressure on those we inspect.”

Comment

During 17 years in the teaching profession I was subject to many Ofsted inspections with the schools I was working in receiving the full spectrum of Ofsted outcomes.

Whilst I appreciate single grade outcomes provide clarity for parents, it also lacks detail and oversimplifies a judgement being applied to the varied and complex characteristics of each individual school.

I have worked in schools with high levels of social deprivation and a large transient population, as well as schools in areas of affluence with professional parents who place a high value on education. Having worked in both environments, it’s very difficult to apply the same set of standards and judgements narrowed down to the margin of a one-word grade in a fair and meaningful assessment process.

The previous system also meant that even if a school was performing well in many different areas, there were overriding aspects of the inspection which would render a school inadequate or requiring improvement.

During one inspection, nearly all the lessons observed by inspectors were good or outstanding, but because the school’s results were below the national outcomes benchmark for that year then teaching and learning (as it was then classified) was deemed to be requiring improvement.

In essence, whatever inspectors saw during the inspection process, this was always going to be the outcome.

There is also undoubtedly a ‘label’ and a negative stigma attached to working in a school deemed to be inadequate or requiring improvement.

Teaching and working with children is a career of massive emotional investment and for any teacher to feel they are being labelled as inadequate and sense they are ‘letting their children down’ can be a massive psychological burden which can have a devastating and demotivating impact on morale.

Ironically in the year the school in which I was working was judged as requiring improvement, my department actually achieved its best ever results - way above the national average for progress - yet I still felt subject to all the negativity and additional scrutiny which comes with being categorised in this grade.

Ultimately schools and teachers do need to be accountable, but it should never be to the point where it’s having a serious detrimental impact on people’s physical and mental health.

After 17 years in the profession, this is what ultimately led me to leaving teaching and I know of countless other former colleagues who have done the same.

With the profession currently experiencing a recruitment and retainment crisis, the suffocating levels of accountability inflicted under the previous Ofsted system needed to change.

However, whatever new system is implemented, the biggest driving factor for teachers is doing the best for the children in their care.

Ultimately this is the only measure of accountability which really matters.