Bridget Phillipson’s new proposals for Ofsted are facing backlash for being “worse than the system currently in place”, as Labour replaces single-word judgements for schools with detailed report cards.
In a major speech on Monday, the education secretary will vow to raise expectations of school leaders, with Ofsted’s new school inspections “shining a light on all the areas that matter, giving each their own grade”.
Labour vowed in opposition to revamp the current Ofsted grading system following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023.
But, in a blow to the plans, the sister of Ms Perry has said she is worried the new Ofsted proposals are a “rehash” of the “dangerous” system they are supposed to replace.
Unions have also criticised the proposals, saying that the introduction of five new ratings “creates a set of hurdles which will be bewildering for teachers and leaders”, and said it is “a recipe for systemic inconsistency”.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Ofsted and the government appear to have learned nothing from the death of headteacher Ruth Perry and have instead devised an accountability system which will subject a beleaguered profession to yet more misery.
“Rather than securing high and rising standards – something we all want to see – this is a sure-fire way of doing the exact opposite. People will vote with their feet by leaving teaching which will worsen an already severe recruitment and retention crisis.
“We will end up without teachers to teach children and leaders to lead schools.
“Astonishingly, Ofsted’s proposed school report cards appear to be even worse than the single-word judgments they replace.”
Ofsted’s new report cards will see schools graded across nine different areas - including attendance and inclusion – using a colour-coded five-point scale for each.
They would receive ratings – from the red coloured “causing concern” to orange coloured “attention needed”, through the green shades of “secure”, “strong” and “exemplary” - for each area of practice under proposals for Ofsted’s new report card system.
The report cards will start to be rolled out in September and will be fully introduced in November.
Ms Phillipson will say on Monday: “Never will we go back to the dark days of weak accountability.
“Because it was the children from disadvantaged backgrounds who suffered the most. So today I am taking us into a new era on school standards.”
The government announced last year that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools in England would be scrapped.
Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.
The reforms follow criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Ms Perry, who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns.
Her sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: “My sister Ruth Perry died as the result of a rude and intimidating Ofsted inspection, and its disproportionate consequences on her and her school.
“It is two years since Ruth’s death, and a year since Sir Martyn Oliver took charge of Ofsted. Ofsted says it has listened, but it still does not appear to have adequately learned.
“I am worried that this proposal is a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace.”
Under the proposals from the inspectorate, at least eight areas of a school’s provision could be evaluated and graded – accompanied by short summaries of inspectors’ findings – in a report card for parents.
The proposed evaluation areas would be leadership and governance, curriculum, developing teaching, achievement, behaviour and attitudes, attendance, personal development and wellbeing, and inclusion.
Inspectors will look at how well schools support vulnerable and disadvantaged children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as part of a new focus on inclusion.
Previously, schools were judged on the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
In the consultation document, Ofsted said: “We will continue to call out unacceptable practice, as we have always done. That is our duty, and it’s a moral duty as much as a professional one.
“But these proposals allow us to highlight poor practice with more precision - pointing laser-like to specific issues, not shining a floodlight on the whole provider.”
Sir Martyn Oliver, chief inspector of Ofsted, said the death of Ms Perry has been on his mind “ever since it happened”.
From November, it is proposed that Ofsted will no longer carry out ungraded inspections of state schools which means every school will know that its next routine Ofsted inspection will be a full, graded one.
Under the proposals, the watchdog will also include more contextual data in inspections and reports - such as learner characteristics, absence and attendance figures, and local area demographics.
Inspectors will use this information to help understand the circumstances in which leaders are operating.
A 12-week consultation on the reforms is being launched on Monday.
Ofsted will publish a report on the outcome of the consultation in the summer, and the final agreed reforms will be implemented in the autumn.
