Ofsted scraps one-word gradings for schools after head teacher’s death

Ruth Perry’s family has welcomed the Government’s plans to scrap one-word grades for schools by Ofsted.

The head teacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading took her own life in January last year after Ofsted inspectors dropped the school’s grade from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.

Her family have been campaigning for changes to be made to the marking system after a coroner’s inquest found the inspection process contributed to her death.

Now the Department for Education has confirmed the single-headline grades are being scrapped with immediate effect – with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the replacement report cards will ‘give parents a clearer picture of school performance.’

Reacting to the news, Ms 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.’

That view was reflected in a report from former schools minister Lord Knight last November, which said the single-word ratings were ‘erratic’ and the wider system was ‘not fit for purpose’.

A coroner later found that the inspection had contributed to her death, as her ‘mental health deteriorated significantly during and after’.

Her death led to an outpouring of anger from teachers and others in the education sector who demanded that the body take a new approach.

The official conclusion came several months after Mrs Perry’s family directly blamed Ofsted, describing her as a ‘shadow of her former self’ following the November 2022 visit.

What are the new Ofsted gradings?

For this school year, the four grades will remain in place but with a change, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced.

Instead of a blanket grade, school’s will be assessed and issued short judgements – either outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate – on each of four subcategories.

These are quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.

But this is just intended as a stopgap until September next year when a ‘Report Cards’ system will be introduced.

This new system will provide a ‘full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing’, the Department for Education said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer added: ‘This move today is about driving up standards, making sure we’ve got a richer picture so parents can see in a more accountable way the real strength of a school and making sure we’ve got the improvements in to catch schools quickly.’

Will more changes be needed?

Although teachers’ unions welcomed the decision to drop a grading system with consequences described as ‘destructive’, they called on the government to do more.

The largest of them, the National Education Union, wants to see an end of Ofsted entirely.

Daniel Kebede, its general secretary, said: ‘Scrapping the headline grade is a step in the right direction.

‘Ultimately, the NEU still thinks that Ofsted needs to be abolished and replaced.

‘Ofsted is toxic for teachers and school leaders and no amount of rebrand or reform will help Ofsted win back the trust of the profession.

‘We need to see Ofsted replaced with a system of accountability that fosters a culture of collaboration between all stakeholders.

‘One that creates a culture of trust, transparency, and a shared responsibility for the quality of education.’

Its smaller counterpart, NASUWT, set its sights on a different goal of ending what it sees as a pressure for schools to become academies.

General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: ‘We will be calling on the Education Secretary to go further with legislative change to end the fallacy that academy conversion is the only route to securing the improvements our schools need.

‘We need to see urgency of action from the government here, too.

‘We look forward to working with the Government to secure a fit for purpose inspection and accountability system that properly reflects the breadth of contribution that all schools make and better supports schools on their improvement journey.’

The headteachers’ union, NAHT, hoped the government would scrap sub-judgements altogether.

Paul Whiteman, its general secretary, said: ‘It will be vitally important that the grades do not end up being used as proxy measures or given any sort of elevated status.

‘Doing so would undermine the positive benefits of removing the headline grade, and risk maintaining the many risks and harms associated with high stakes inspection.

‘We look forward to engaging with the government over the coming months as it seeks to design a fundamentally new approach to school inspection for the future.’

Phillipson described grading reform as ‘generational’ and a ‘landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers’.

She continued: ‘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 came after engagement with the sector and Mrs Perry’s family, the Department for Education said.

It represents a break from the previous Conservative government, which announced in April that one-word ratings from Ofsted would remain in place, arguing the system had ‘significant benefits’.

Responding to Labour’s decision, Shadow Education Secretary Damian Hinds called the grades a ‘vital indicator for parents’.

He added: ‘While we do believe the system could be further improved, scrapping the headline inspection outcome is not in the best interest of pupils or parents.’

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