MPS tell Ofsted to scrap single-word judgments
OFSTED must scrap single-word judgments in the wake of the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, according to a group of MPS.
The cross-party House of Commons education select committee has published a report urging the Department for Education (DFE) and Ofsted to develop an alternative to single-word school judgments “as a priority”.
The committee has recommended that overall judgments such as “outstanding” and “inadequate” are replaced with an alternative that “better captures the complex nature of a school’s performance”.
As a first step, it suggested updating government websites to show a school’s Ofsted rating in different areas, such as “quality of education” and “behaviour and attitudes”, as well as the overall judgment. Schools should only receive an “inadequate” judgment where they are fundamentally failing to keep children safe, the report added.
The recommendations come after Mrs Perry, the former headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, took her own life after she was told that her school would be downgraded from the highest rating to the lowest over safeguarding concerns.
Robin Walker, Conservative MP and chairman of the education select committee, said: “On the now totemic issue of single-word judgments, Ofsted and ministers should heed the widespread calls for change. We urge the new chief inspector and Government to consider a more nuanced system that can provide value to both schools and parents, and as a first step we encourage the inspectorate, Department [of Education] and schools to make more use of the multiple judgments already included in reports.”
A DFE spokesperson said: “We have worked closely with Ofsted to make significant changes to ensure inspections help to keep children safe, while also prioritising the wellbeing of school leaders, including by recently expanding our wellbeing support for teachers.
“Ofsted’s overall judgment succinctly summarises inspection findings, which gives parents the confidence in choosing the right school for their child and provides a clear basis for taking action to improve underperforming schools.”