In our earlier Law-Now article, Ofsted under scrutiny, written after the inquest into the devastating suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry ruled that an Ofsted inspection “contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death, we referenced comments made by the then newly appointed Chief Inspector of Education, Sir Martyn Oliver, that “mental health awareness training is a first step – but for me a critical first step – is reassuring the sectors we work with that we are serious about change.” In a show of intent, the government announced on 2 September 2024 that, with immediate effect, schools in England will no longer receive single headline grades following an Ofsted inspection. Instead, schools will receive a grading in the four existing subcategories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management. Headline grades will continue to apply to early years settings, colleges, children’s social care providers, initial teacher training and independent schools within Ofsted’s jurisdiction[1], though the government expressed its commitment to remove headline grades from other settings inspected by Ofsted.
The overall headline grading has become a symbol of a punitive inspection regime that the government, and Sir Oliver, recognise the need to change; however, the substance of the change is yet to be determined. Whilst a key recommendation from the Beyond Ofsted inquiry, led by Lord Knight, to end single-word judgements, (and Labour manifesto pledge) has been implemented, the question posed in our Levelling the Playing Field article in 2022, remains: will this translate into real, transformative changes within Ofsted's inspection regime?
The answer is promised in an ambitious timescale of twelve months, the government having announced that school report cards will be introduced in September 2025, together with a new inspection framework. Until then, schools, parents and carers will have to grapple with a two-tier inspection system, with headline gradings remaining in place for all schools except those to be inspected between 23 September 2024 (when graded inspections resume) and September 2025 when the new inspection framework, subject to a public consultation, is set to be announced. Whether the report card system will be developed for other settings beyond schools is also yet to be determined.
When announcing the change, the Prime Minister rejected the suggestion that the new interim system would leave parents and carers confused, but an element of confusion seems inevitable, at least while Ofsted and the Department for Education work through an ambitious timetable for change. Careful management and communications will be needed to ensure public confidence in the inspections conducted under the interim system - and in the overall gradings imposed before 2 September that schools must keep until re-inspected – remains, against the backdrop of the deep-seated criticism of Ofsted that has led to its reform reaching the top of the political agenda.
The outcome of the largest public consultation in Ofsted’s history, Ofsted’s Big Listen, published on 3 September 2024, the day after the government’s announcement to abolish the overall grading, pledges that, report cards, which are to be consulted on together with a new inspection framework in January 2025, will provide parents and carers with “more nuanced reporting about the strength of providers”. Introducing an inclusion criterion and a separate criterion for safeguarding in report cards will also form part of the consultation. The Independent learning review for Ofsted by Dame Christine Gilbert, also published this month, echoes themes expressed in Labour’s manifesto, in robust terms, that greater transparency is needed from the inspection regime. Dame Gilbert writes, “In terms of its own accountabilities, it is clear that Ofsted has a professional obligation to do more to: monitor and review – with greater openness, transparency and less defensiveness – the effectiveness and impact of its own practice at individual, organisational and whole-system levels”. Continuing this theme, Dame Gilbert recommended, “As part of its planning for a school report card, the government should initiate a debate about the essential elements of the wider public accountability system, of which Ofsted is a part.” And that system should “ensure that school evaluation is a dynamic and inclusive process that builds confidence, professionalism and better practice.”
Sir Kier Starmer was careful not to over commit in Labour’s campaign for government but there is no escaping the size of the task ahead to deliver a report card system, underpinned by a new inspection framework, by September 2025.
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[1] those that are not overseen by the Independent Schools Council (ISC)
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