School accountability reform and the planned introduction of report cards in 2025 are keeping Ofsted and the DfE busy. But while progress might feel pacey in Whitehall, my analysis of the first 200 primary reports published this term shows there鈥檚 still a lot to do to meet this ambition 鈥� and meet it well. Sadly, it鈥檚 clear that removing the overall effectiveness grades has made no real difference due to the retention of the four subcategory grades. Schools formerly judged to be 鈥橭utstanding鈥� overall are still instantly recognisable, because the section in the report on what a school needs to do to improve is omitted. Meanwhile, the 80 per cent of schools which are clearly 鈥楪ood鈥� overall mainly have that same grade for all sub-categories. The few schools requiring overall improvement are also self-evident, and none have yet been given the lowest grade. Moreover, the widespread criticisms that ultimately led to these reforms extended well beyond the grades and into the realms of dissatisfaction with the substance of the reports themselves. Parents generally found the reports 鈥榖land鈥� and 鈥榩atronising鈥�, while schools felt that inspectors were not consistently communicating specifically enough what they needed to do to improve. If report cards are to be effective, urgent changes in Ofsted鈥檚 writing and inspection methodology are essential, so are these evident in this first tranche of reports? Unhelpful commentary Parents will not feel reassured by the following Ofsted statements from this term鈥檚 reports on those schools which were judged 鈥楪ood鈥� in all or most categories: 鈥淧upils like their teachers because they are helpful and look after them.鈥� 鈥淎lthough pupils鈥� attendance is not as high as it should be they behave very well.鈥� 鈥淎 small number of pupils can be talkative in class.鈥� 鈥淏reak times are a highlight of the day.鈥� These are not care settings; they are learning communities. 红桃影视 would expect stronger evaluations from the outset as to how the above statements impact the learners, the quality of education and pupils鈥� achievements. Generic feedback Across all of the reports, examples of specific learning lack detail other than in reading, phonics and some aspects of mathematics. Oracy, broader aspects of literacy and science only feature sporadically. A welcome exception was the observation that, 鈥渋n mathematics, through regular practice, pupils can differentiate logarithmic functions rapidly with fluency and consistency鈥�. It is this scarcity of subject-specific exemplars which adversely affects the recommendations in the final section on, 鈥榃hat does the school needs to do to improve?鈥� The vast majority of suggestions here relate to generic weaknesses in the curriculum and gaps in the pupils鈥� learning and knowledge. For example: 鈥泪苍 a few subjects, misconceptions in learning are not always identified promptly by the teachers.鈥� 鈥淟earning is sometimes not sequenced as well as it should be.鈥� 鈥沦辞尘别 pupils have gaps in their knowledge.鈥� The fact that subjects are not always named and there is little or no quantification is confusing. By contrast, more detailed exemplars help schools to understand precisely what they need to focus on to move forward. This, for example, is far more constructive: 鈥淓arly reading strategies are not consistently taught well and a significant number of pupils are not learning and remembering the sounds that they know.鈥� If report cards are to be comprehensive, clear, nuanced and informative by next September 鈥� and not repeat the failings of the system we are aiming to replace 鈥� the current issues arising from the examples above need to be resolved quickly. The biggest challenge will be the next step of removing the sub-grades, because it is proving impossible to abolish overall grades while retaining them for each domain. If schools and communities are to rely less on scores, grades or single-word judgements, it will be essential to have stronger evaluations of what pupils learn, their rate of progress and their achievements. Accurate, evidence-based, unambiguous written reports can negate the need for grades because the standards of pupil performance will be obvious from the quality of the text. This will involve inspector training, recruitment of headteachers and other expert practitioners, and high-quality, phase-related frameworks to replace the current secondary-oriented one. If Ofsted don鈥檛 pick up the pace, Labour鈥檚 best-laid plans could go awry.