The government has scrapped single-phrase headline grades for schools 鈥渨ith immediate effect鈥, ahead of a switch to new report cards next September. But schools will still receive grades in four sub-judgments and may face intervention if they fail on any of those measures or are found to have ineffective safeguarding. Ministers are also scrapping the previous government鈥檚 coasting schools policy, which triggered intervention in schools with two or more consecutive 鈥榬equires improvement鈥 judgments. Instead, those schools will now be known as “struggling” and given support instead. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the removal of headline grades was a 鈥済enerational reform and a landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers鈥. 鈥淪ingle 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 鈥 that鈥檚 what our report cards will provide. 鈥淭his government will make inspection a more powerful, more transparent tool for driving school improvement. We promised change, and now we are delivering.鈥 The immediate scrapping of headline grades will apply to state schools only. It will “follow” for private schools, early years settings, colleges, social care and initial teacher training, but the government has not said when. Report cards from 2025, sub-judgments remain for now Labour pledged ahead of July鈥檚 election to scrap single-phrase Ofsted judgments and replace them with a system of report cards. It followed the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. Last November a coroner ruled an Ofsted inspection contributed to her suicide after she was told her school had been rated 鈥榠nadequate鈥. The government today confirmed the new report cards will come into effect from September 2025 following a consultation on their design and content. Government has promised “extensive consultation with parents, schools and the sector”. The DfE said Ofsted鈥檚 鈥渂ig listen鈥 consultation, which is set to report back tomorrow, found only three in 10 professionals and four in 10 parents supported single-phrase judgments for overall effectiveness. The current sub-judgments of quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management will continue to be used until then. And schools will continue to be graded for each of those areas. Intervention to be based on sub-grades … Ministers said Ofsted would continue to identify, and the Department for Education would “continue to intervene where necessary, in cases of the most serious concern鈥. The watchdog is under a legal duty to identify schools causing concern – defined as those requiring special measures or requiring significant improvement. Intervention will be triggered by the sub-judgment grades, often referred-to as limiting judgments because under the previous system if one is rated ‘inadequate’, the school’s overall effectiveness of a school is deemed ‘inadequate’ too. Intervention would include issuing an academy order, 鈥渨hich may in some cases mean transferring to new management鈥 and by issuing existing academies with termination warning notices. … but coasting schools to get support instead However the controversial coasting schools policy is changing. Previously, schools with successive ‘requires improvement’ judgments would have been eligible for being academised or transferred to a new trust if the school was already an academy. Now, those schools – dubbed “struggling” by the new government – will get 鈥渟upport from a high performing school, helping to drive up standards quickly鈥. However conversions due to go ahead this term will continue. The DfE said that 鈥渨here schools are identified as struggling, government will prioritise rapidly getting plans in place to improve the education and experience of children, rather than relying purely on changing schools鈥 management鈥. New regional improvement teams that will work with those struggling schools will be introduced 鈥渇rom early 2025鈥. Perry family ‘delighted and relieved’ Julia Waters Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said her family was “delighted and relieved” headline grades had been scrapped. But she said headline grades were “just the most visible feature of a fundamentally flawed inspection system”. “I hope this moment marks the beginning of more extensive reform of Ofsted’s punitive inspection system, and the end of its unaccountable and defensive institutional culture. Too many people in Ofsted have mistaken nastiness for rigour and inhumanity for efficiency.” Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, added: 鈥淭here is much work to do now in order to design a fundamentally different long-term approach to inspection and we look forward to working with government to achieve that.鈥 Pepe Di鈥橧asio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added report cards have 鈥渢he potential to provide parents with a more rounded picture of their school鈥檚 performance鈥. 鈥淭he big challenge now is to make sure that we get this right and that we don鈥檛 end up replacing one flawed system with another flawed system.”
Rubina Darr 2 September 2024 All I can say is THANKYOU to the Secretary of State for Education for listening to the family of Ruth Perry. To professor Julia Waters for her determination and perseverance under the difficult circumstances of having to cope with the tragic death of her sister Ruth Perry. To the teacher unions for all working together to eradicate this punitive form of accountability. We need now to look at all the other ways the system needs to be more collegiate in supporting schools to be the best for staff, pupils, parents and the wider community. Give back the dignity to the professionals who lead our schools with their teams. Experienced leaders are well able to mentor, support and coach new leaders and teams in a way that enables the system to be positive and productive. Our aim has only ever to provide a good education to all our children and to eradicate inequality at every level for the children and the staff.