Ofsted should ditch graded judgments and replace them with a 鈥渘arrative description鈥 of a school鈥檚 strengths and weaknesses, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has said. In a policy discussion paper published today, the union also said schools should be told in which year they鈥檒l be inspected (see full proposals in boxbelow). Longer-term changes should include separate inspection frameworks for different school phases, while safeguarding and health and safety should be checked through light-touch annual audits, the union said. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said graded judgments were a 鈥渨oefully blunt tool to measure performance鈥. He added that negative judgments 鈥渃ome with huge stigma attached and create a vicious circle that makes improvement more difficult鈥, worsening recruitment and retention challenges. ASCL said proposals in its discussion paper had been offered for 鈥渃omment, critique and stress- testing鈥 and did not yet represent formal policy. Rather than 鈥渁ttempting to distil all the work and school improvement a school does into a single phrase鈥, narrative judgments would allow reports to focus on what a school does well and how it could improve. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman considered dropping the 鈥榦utstanding鈥 grade early in her tenure, but decided against it. A 2019 report by the watchdog said grades 鈥減rovide parents with a useful headline indicator鈥 of quality that is different but complements results data. But ASCL insisted that a narrative description would give parents a 鈥渕ore nuanced understanding鈥 of effectiveness. The union said proposals had been offered for 鈥渃omment, critique and stress-testing鈥 and did not yet represent formal policy. However the plans are likely to have support from many in the sector. A Teacher Tapp survey in September found nearly 60 per cent of respondents did not agree Ofsted was a 鈥渞eliable and trusted arbiter of standards鈥, up from 52 per cent in 2019. Fergal Moane, headteacher of Hitchin Boys鈥 School, in Hertfordshire, which retained its 鈥榦utstanding鈥 grade in 2021 backed the plans. 鈥淎s public servants, headteachers accept the need for accountability, but Ofsted’s current approach is detrimental to the holistic improvement of the school system,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he single biggest improvement would be to dispense with graded judgements.鈥 Headteachers鈥 Roundtable chair Caroline Derbyshire said: 鈥淚t is pleasing that so many school leaders are now on the same page. Let’s hope our views are heard.鈥 Steve Rollett, deputy chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, warned that any change to judgments would need to 鈥渂e coherent鈥 within the regulatory framework. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you can look at judgments in isolation from the rest of the regulatory framework. I think you need to look at it all together,鈥 he said. Tom Middlehurst, ASCL鈥檚 curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist, said the changes 鈥渃ould help [Ofsted] win back that trust鈥 of the profession.Ofsted declined to comment.