Ofsted scraps one-word gradings for schools after Ruth Perry’s death

Ofsted is to stop giving one-word judgements on schools with immediate effect, following a campaign by the family of head teacher Ruth Perry to change the rating system.

Mrs Perry, who ran Caversham Primary in Reading, took her own life in January 2023 two months after an inspection which led to the downgrading of the school from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.

A coroner later found that the inspection had contributed to her death, as her ‘mental health deteriorated significantly during and after’.

The official conclusion came several months after Mrs Perry’s family directly blamed Ofsted, describing her as a ‘shadow of her former self’ following the November 2022 visit.

Her death led to an outpouring of anger from teachers and others in the education sector who demanded that the body take a new approach.

That view was reflected in a report from former schools minister Lord Knight last November, which said the single-word ratings were ‘erratic’ and the wider system was ‘not fit for purpose’.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced the short judgements will be replaced with four grades across the sub-categories of quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.

Then, from September next year, a ‘Report Cards’ system will be introduced to provide a ‘full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing’.

Phillipson described grading reform as ‘generational’ and a ‘landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers’.

She continued: ‘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.’

The announcement came after engagement with the sector and Mrs Perry’s family, the Department for Education said.

Teachers’ unions have welcomed the move to scrap the previous system.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, said: ‘We have been clear that simplistic one-word judgments are harmful and we are pleased the government has taken swift action to remove them.

‘We are equally pleased that the government intends to place a stronger emphasis on supporting schools to improve where they need help, rather than defaulting to heavy-handed intervention or knee-jerk changes of governance structures.’

However, he added that the union would have preferred for sub-judgments to be discarded at the same time.

The previous Conservative government had announced in April that one-word ratings from Ofsted would remain in place, arguing the system had ‘significant benefits’.

Responding to Labour’s decision, Shadow Education Secretary Damian Hinds called the grades a ‘vital indicator for parents’.

He added: ‘While we do believe the system could be further improved, scrapping the headline inspection outcome is not in the best interest of pupils or parents.’

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