Ofsted Reform: What Schools and Teachers Can Expect Moving Forward

In September this year, the government made the historical announcement that single-word Ofsted school ratings were to be scrapped with immediate effect. This decision has been widely supported by parents and teaching professionals alike, following years of campaigning for reform. The tragic death of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose mental health was significantly impacted by an Ofsted inspection, was a key catalyst for this change. This blog explores the changes announced and their potential impact on schools, teachers, and pupils.

Background and Catalyst for Ofsted Reform

The Ofsted reform is something that had been campaigned for since the very sad death of headteacher Ruth Perry, after a coroner’s inquest found that the Ofsted visit to her school had been a factor in her death. Ofsted had visited her school in Reading in November 2022 and declared that the school which had been rated as ‘outstanding’ was to be downgraded to the lowest rating ‘requires improvement’.

After this verdict Ruth very sadly became unwell and her family recall that this was down to the effects of the inspection and the way the inspection was conducted. She became concerned that the poor grade would affect the community and the popularity of the school as well as possibly losing her job if the school was academised. She took her own life in January 2023. 

This tragedy was undeniably a significant catalyst for the announcement, although Ofsted reform has been something that professionals have been calling for for a long time. These changes to Ofsted will affect the way schools are inspected and it is hoped by the government that they mark a change of approach to how struggling schools will be managed. No longer using the short one-word rating, schools will now be assessed using four grades. 

Let’s take a closer look at what the announcement actually said.

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What Exactly Are the Changes to Ofsted School Inspections?

Schools will be judged in ten different areas: curriculum, teaching, achievement, leadership, behaviour and values, attendance, preparation for next steps, opportunities to thrive, inclusion and belonging and safeguarding. Each area will be judged from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’ 

According to the Financial Times, Ofsted wants report cards “to provide more nuance by inspecting each of the proposed evaluation areas against the proposed evaluation scale so that leaders and parents can understand the areas of strength and areas of development in the provision”.

The government’s changes aim to provide a more comprehensive and supportive approach to Ofsted school inspections:

Responses to the Ofsted Rating Changes

The responses to this change have been varied. Some have been cautiously optimistic, others were less impressed, such as Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, who 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.”

The National Association for Primary Education website has reported that “many stakeholders, including school leaders’ unions like NAHT and ASCL, have cautiously welcomed the changes, viewing them as a positive step toward a fairer inspection system.” They claim that this is down to the fact that “they acknowledge the removal of the high-stakes single-word judgment as a significant improvement, recognizing that it reduces pressure on schools and allows for a more nuanced assessment of performance.”

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Ofsted Reforms and Children’s Well-Being

Whatever the responses to the changes are, well-being for teachers and pupils is certainly at the core of the new Ofsted inspection system. Retaining teaching staff and easing the stress of inspections will impact everyone positively, and allowing teachers to do their jobs with less scrutiny will have a direct effect on the children they teach.

This is something that parents have been concerned about for a while, as reported stress among pupils has risen in recent years. Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind, said:

“Most parents understand the need for school inspection, but they want that inspection to help schools to improve as well as giving a verdict on the quality of education their children are receiving. When we spoke to parents about what was important to them, their children being happy at school was a big talking point and should not be overlooked.”

It is hoped that this new system will allow for greater transparency for parents and most importantly, be a force to drive improvement rather than the Ofsted rating to be used as a punitive measure. By producing a more in-depth inspection report, parents can fully understand where their child’s school is doing well and where it might need to make changes.

After all, any improvement in teaching standards should have a positive effect on children and their wellbeing, something which the government has committed to in the form of the Children’s Well-being Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech.

How schools can support pupil well-being

Pupil well-being has been a focus in schools for a long time now, mostly after Covid 19 lockdowns and the far-reaching effects that these have had. There are already some great initiatives being implemented in schools today, and this change to how schools are to be inspected will add to this.

There are various other ways that schools can support pupil well-being through their systems and day-to-day running of the school. For example, improving communication between teachers and parents has been shown to have a positive impact. This is something that planners such as ours can support.