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Single-word Ofsted grades for schools are being scrapped with immediate effect, to be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools’ strengths and weaknesses.
After a campaign by the family of headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself in 2023, the government said the need for the change was “absolutely clear”.
And, in a bid to drive up standards in schools, Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said ministers will intervene where schools are judged to be “inadequate” in one of four areas.
It came as Ms Phillipson outlined the new system to give parents a better picture about the state of their children’s schools.
Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four headline grades to schools it inspects: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.
For inspections this academic year, parents will see the four Ofsted grades - outstanding, good, requires improvement, and inadequate - given across the existing sub-categories: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management.
Ms Phillipson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that action could be taken this year if a school is rated as “inadequate” in any of the four sub-categories. Failing schools could also still be forced to become academies despite the scrapping of single-word Ofsted grades.
The school report cards will be introduced from September 2025, which will “provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement”, it added.
The announcement comes as pupils return to the classroom this week.
Ms Phillipson said: “I have met on a number of occasions with Julia Waters, who is Ruth’s sister, and spoken about the family’s experience and the tragedy of Ruth’s death - and what the family has been through - which is beyond words.
“What I should, however, point out is that I have been talking some time ahead of the news becoming public about Ruth’s tragic death about the need for reform of Ofsted.
“I have been clear for some time that change was needed. I made the announcement of our position that we would end the one word judgments ahead of that news becoming public.”
And she told Sky News: “I think what Ruth’s death did do, and the campaigning work of Julia and the family, was to shine a light on the need for reform, and to make absolutely clear that we need a better system for families, for parents, and for children, but also for staff within our schools as well.”
Mrs Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: “We are delighted and relieved that the government has decided to take this important and long-overdue step.
“Single-word headline judgments are dangerous and reductive. They are unpopular with parents and teachers, and their simplistic impact has made the daily job of improving school standards harder for everyone except the bureaucrats.
“The shame, injustice, and high-stakes consequences of an ‘inadequate’ judgement, together with the rude and intimidating conduct of the inspection itself, were the cause of my sister’s mental deterioration and suicide.
“Single-word judgments are just the most visible feature of a fundamentally flawed inspection system. Ofsted‘s reign of terror has caused untold harm to headteachers and school staff for too long, with a negative impact on children’s education.”
It is understood the removal of single-headline grades for other settings inspected by Ofsted - independent schools, early years settings, colleges, children’s social care providers and initial teacher training – will follow.
Single-phrase grades “fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance across a range of areas and are supported by a minority of parents and teachers”, the DfE said.
The change “delivers on the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity”, the DfE added.
As part of the announcement, where schools are identified as struggling, the government will prioritise getting plans in place to improve the education and experience of children, rather than relying on changing schools’ management, the DfE said.
From early 2025, the government will also introduce regional improvement teams that will work with struggling schools to address areas of weakness.
In cases of the most serious concern, the government will continue to intervene, including by issuing an academy order, which may in some cases mean transferring to new management.
Ofsted will continue to identify these schools - which would have been graded as inadequate.
The Government also currently intervenes where a school receives two or more consecutive judgments of “requires improvement” under the “2RI” policy.
With the exception of schools already due to convert to academies this term, this policy will change. The Government will now put in place support for these schools from a high-performing school.
Ms 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.”
The announcement follows engagement with the sector and family of headteacher Ruth Perry, after a coroner’s inquest found the Ofsted inspection process had contributed to her death.
Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating, “outstanding”, to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.
The government said it will work closely with Ofsted and relevant sectors and stakeholders to “ensure that the removal of headline grades is implemented smoothly”.
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.”
NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “It has been abundantly clear that the high-stakes system developed under the previous government was damaging, distracting and unfairly penalised schools for the failures of the system.
“For more than a decade, the NASUWT has called for a move towards a balanced report card system which would be informative to both parents and schools.
“Whilst today’s announcements are an important step in the right direction, it remains the case that in the absence of root-and-branch reform to fix the foundations of the broken accountability system, teachers and school leaders will continue to work in a system that remains flawed.”
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza called the removal a “significant step forward in rebuilding trust between Ofsted and the teaching profession”.
She said: “For too long, the inspection process has been high stakes and over-simplified, instead of an opportunity to properly reflect the diverse experiences of children’s education and their wellbeing.”
Jason Elsom, chief executive of charity Parentkind, said: “Parents have been very clear that they want to see changes to the way Ofsted reports back after visiting a school and it is welcome to see a clear timetable being set out today for moving towards a report card that will give parents greater clarity of the performance of their children’s school.”
Samaritans can be called on 116 123, or emailed at jo@samaritans.org
