School leaders have lambasted new Ofsted inspection toolkits as 鈥渃obbled together鈥 and 鈥渁 nonsense鈥. Under , schools would be rated one of five, colour-coded judgments: exemplary (dark green), strong, secure, attention needed, or causing concern (red). Ofsted has published rubrics 鈥 which it has called 鈥渢oolkits鈥 鈥 to 鈥渄escribe the quality we would expect to see at each point on the scale鈥 for each judgment area. It wants to provide schools 鈥渃lear guidance鈥 on what inspectors will be looking at. Sir Martyn Oliver, the chief inspector, said the toolkits would mean leaders 鈥渘o longer have to guess what鈥檚 in inspectors鈥 minds鈥. But many in the sector say the descriptors for different grades are too similar. ‘Cobbled together’ Frank Norris, a former HMI, told Schools Week: 鈥淭he draft grade descriptors look as though they have been cobbled together with insufficient consideration of how they will play out during inspections鈥. Frank Norris He highlighted vague phrases such as 鈥渂roadly in line with national average鈥 which were 鈥渙pen to wide interpretation鈥. Michael Fordham, the principal of Thetford Academy in Norfolk, is among sector leaders who have criticised the descriptors on social media. 鈥淎nyone with half an ounce of sense will see that it is a nonsense that one of these is better than the other,鈥 he wrote on Bluesky. Teacher Mike Hobbiss said the descriptors 鈥渃ut to the heart of the absolute incoherence of the new Ofsted grade criteria鈥. Many have pointed out that the toolkits echo the national curriculum levels, which were ditched more than ten years ago. Most failed blind survey To put the toolkits to the test, Schools Week ran a blind online survey asking readers to distinguish between the criteria for 鈥榮trong鈥 and 鈥榮ecure鈥 ratings. More than 3,000 respondents, primarily teachers and school leaders, on average got two out of five wrong. One question on 鈥榠nclusive attendance culture and practices鈥 proved particularly confusing. Just 36 per cent of respondents successfully chose the higher grade descriptor. One of the descriptors reads: 鈥淟eaders build a culture of community and belonging, promoting positive relationships and attitudes between teachers, parents and pupils so that every pupil feels valued, safe and understood.鈥 The other reads: 鈥淟eaders pay close attention to every element of the school鈥檚 work to make sure that the school is a place that pupils want to attend. They make careful adjustments to pupils鈥 provision, when necessary.鈥 Can you work out which is 鈥榮trong鈥 and which 鈥榮ecure鈥? Do the quiz here
Paul Mason 10 February 2025 I took the ofsted new definition quiz. I am an experience Chair of Governors and an English graduate. The language used in the descriptors, when each is attempted to be interpreted, is insufficiently defined. It appears different values of what is to be attained in the minds of those selecting the wording has resulted in producing definitions that are too similar, or both worthy of maximum attainment. They should be scrapped. Do they aid communication and better understanding of the process? NO. My score was 2/5 . I must therefore try harder
Gene Hodge 14 February 2025 I can’t help feeling sorry for school leeders who are bemoaning Ofsteds new inspection criteria. As a former headteacher and Ofsted inspector, the irony of teachers disliking being judged, while clearly willing to judge students achievements, rings a bit hollow. It’s also very disrespectful to inspectors such as HMI who, in my experience, were clever, proportionate, experienced, and could spot things in schools very accurately…both good and not so good. The outside world of schools are continually being judged….but schools feel they should be exempt…..please…such it up. Fir the students sakes!