Schools in England are likely to be judged on a new five-step scale, under proposals by the Ofsted inspectorate to be put out for public consultation as soon as next week.
The consultation is the culmination of plans by the government to overhaul the way schools are rated, with Labour having pledged to scrap inspection reports using single headline grades such as “outstanding” or “inadequate” after a coroner’s report said an Ofsted inspection had contributed to the death of Ruth Perry, a headteacher, in 2023.
According to an internal presentation to school leaders, reported by the Financial Times on Friday, schools will be graded in eight core areas: achievement; leadership and governance; curriculum; developing teaching; personal development and wellbeing; attendance; behaviour; and attitudes and inclusion.
Earlier reports had suggested that two further categories – “preparation for next steps” and “opportunities to thrive” – would also be included. But the two categories appear to have been discarded.
The existing inspection report format uses four to six sub-grades, including quality of education, and leadership and management, with a cumulative headline grade.
The current scale of four grades, ranging from inadequate to outstanding, will be replaced by five steps, with “exemplary” as the new top grade, down to “causing concern” at the bottom, according to the FT.
Ofsted did not comment on the reports.
An earlier presentation by Ofsted stated: “We want report cards to provide more nuance by inspecting each of the proposed evaluation areas against the proposed evaluation scale so that leaders and parents can understand the areas of strength and areas of development in the provision.”
School leaders and teachers have been warily waiting for details of Ofsted’s consultation since it was announced last year, with concerns that the report card style could be more complicated for parents and onerous for headteachers.
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