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The Government announced the immediate elimination of Ofsted grades for schools.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that reform was "overwhelmingly clear" in order to promote high standards.
“Accountability is non-negotiable but we have to be better than this. I think parents are capable of understanding a wider range of information, not just having everything boiled down into one word,” she said on Radio 4’s Today programme on September 2.
Parents will be able to view grades in all of the current subcategories during inspections this academic year: leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and quality of education.
"I won’t hesitate to take action where schools are failing."@MishalHusain asks Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson how Ofsted ratings will work, as the government scraps one-word grades for England's schools.#R4Today
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) September 2, 2024
But why is it being scrapped and what will it be replaced by?
Why is the one-word Ofsted grades for schools being scrapped?
The Government claimed that in order to lower the stakes for schools and provide parents with a better picture, a change is necessary, and it came about as a result of head teacher Ruth Perry's suicide in 2023.
Following an inquest that revealed an Ofsted inspection played a role in Mrs Perry's death, Ofsted issued an apology. Following a second inquiry, a group of MPs from all parties demanded that the single-word grades be eliminated.
Prof Julia Waters, the sister of Mrs Perry, who has been advocating for the removal of the one- or two-word rulings, told the BBC that the whole Perry family was "delighted".
Prof Waters explained how her sister's mental health had been impacted by the one-word judgement, saying: “It was the main thing that preyed on her mind. She had a really bruising inspection that left her very fragile, and that word 'Inadequate', she went over and over it, writing it down.
“She'd just had the trauma of an unexpectedly bad Ofsted but she was still anticipating the public humiliation that would come with that.”
What will the Ofsted grades be replaced by?
Previously, Ofsted graded schools it inspects with one of four headline grades: inadequate, good, outstanding, and requires improvement.
Ofsted will continue to evaluate schools based on the same criteria, and reports will still provide specifics about a school's performance, just as they do today. But these grade categories will not be utilised.
Parents will be able to read a new "report card" detailing the findings of inspectors at a school by September 2025.
Many people welcomed the news.
Daniel Kebede, the leader of the National Education Union, restated the union's demand that Ofsted be fully abolished, saying that "the idea you could give a verdict on a whole school in one or two words was always ridiculous".
The National Association of Head Teachers' general secretary, Paul Whiteman, stated, "simplistic one-word judgments are harmful and we are pleased the Government has taken swift action to remove them".
However, not everyone agrees scrapping Ofsted grades is the way to continue. Shadow education secretary Damian Hinds stated that it was "not in the best interest of pupils or parents" to eliminate the headline inspection result since it is "a vital indicator for parents".
