Phillipson guarantees ‘new era for school standards’ as Ofsted single-word judgments are scrapped | EUROtoday

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Bridget Phillipson will promise a “new era for school standards” as Labour and Ofsted substitute single-word judgments for faculties with extra detailed report playing cards.

In a serious speech on Monday, the schooling secretary will vow to lift expectations of college leaders, with Ofsted’s new college inspections “shining a light on all the areas that matter, giving each their own grade”.

She will vow by no means to return to “the dark days of weak accountability”, setting out how Ofsted’s modifications will assist the federal government break the hyperlink between youngsters’s background and success.

Bridget Phillipson (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Bridget Phillipson (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

Ofsted’s new report playing cards will see faculties graded throughout 9 completely different areas – together with attendance and inclusion – utilizing a colour-coded five-point scale for every.

They would obtain scores – from the pink colored “causing concern” to orange colored “attention needed”, by the inexperienced shades of “secure”, “strong” and “exemplary” – for every space of follow underneath proposals for Ofsted’s new report card system.

The report playing cards will begin to be rolled out from September and will probably be totally launched in November.

Ms Phillipson on Monday will say: “Never will we go back to the dark days of weak accountability.

“Because it was the children from disadvantaged backgrounds who suffered the most. So today I am taking us into a new era on school standards.

“Our searchlight on poor performance must now become brighter, to see the problems of today and tomorrow quickly and clearly.

“So a more rigorous system, raising the bar of our expectations, on what good really looks like when it comes to the futures of our children.”

Labour vowed in opposition to revamp the present Ofsted grading system following the loss of life of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023.

But, in a blow to the plans, the sister of Ms Perry has mentioned she is anxious the brand new Ofsted proposals are a “rehash” of the “dangerous” system they’re supposed to interchange.

The Government introduced final 12 months that headline Ofsted grades for general effectiveness for faculties in England can be scrapped.

Previously, Ofsted awarded one in all 4 single-phrase inspection judgments: excellent, good, requires enchancment and insufficient.

The reforms comply with criticism of the inspection system following the loss of life of headteacher Mrs Perry who took her personal life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the very best to the bottom general effectiveness score over safeguarding considerations.

Her sister Professor Julia Waters mentioned that whereas the brand new mannequin has some enhancements, it “retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system, while introducing a series of changes with potential new risks to the wellbeing of teachers and headteachers”.

Prof Waters mentioned: “My sister Ruth Perry died as the result of a rude and intimidating Ofsted inspection, and its disproportionate consequences on her and her school.

“It is 2 years since Ruth’s loss of life, and a 12 months since Sir Martyn Oliver took cost of Ofsted.

“Ofsted says it has listened, but it still does not appear to have adequately learned.

“I’m anxious that this proposal is a rehash of the discredited and harmful system it’s meant to interchange.”

Prof Waters said the proposal appears to have fed the single-word judgments “by a web-based thesaurus”, adding that “different components of the report card design are ill-thought-through and probably harmful”.

Under the proposals from the inspectorate, at least eight areas of a school’s provision could be evaluated and graded – accompanied by short summaries of inspectors’ findings – in a report card for parents.

The proposed evaluation areas would be leadership and governance, curriculum, developing teaching, achievement, behaviour and attitudes, attendance, personal development and wellbeing, and inclusion.

Ruth Perry’s sister Professor Julia Waters said the new system ‘retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system’

Ruth Perry’s sister Professor Julia Waters said the new system ‘retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system’ (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

Schools which have early years provision or a sixth form would also be graded separately on these areas.

Safeguarding would not be graded with the five-point scale and instead it would be assessed as either met or not met under the plans.

The proposals have been criticised by Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, who said they “counsel an inspectorate decided to carry on to a mannequin of inspection that’s long gone its sell-by date”.

And Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the proposed school report cards “look like even worse than the single-word judgments they substitute”.

Inspectors will look at how well schools support vulnerable and disadvantaged children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as part of a new focus on inclusion.

Previously, schools were judged on the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

In the consultation document, Ofsted said: “We will proceed to name out unacceptable follow, as we’ve at all times performed. That is our obligation, and it is a ethical obligation as a lot as knowledgeable one.

“But these proposals allow us to highlight poor practice with more precision – pointing laser-like to specific issues, not shining a floodlight on the whole provider.”

Sir Martyn, chief inspector of Ofsted, mentioned the loss of life of Mrs Perry has been on his thoughts “ever since it happened”.

He mentioned the “beauty” of a report card – which he mentioned is “a bit like a child’s school report card” – is that it’s completely different from the earlier system in that it’s “fairer” and “more proportionate”.

“It highlights all the things that schools excel at as well as those where they could improve.

“And our report card will give a much better balanced, extra life like and a fairer image of all of a college’s strengths and areas for enchancment,” he said.

Ofsted is also proposing that all schools with an identified need for improvement will receive monitoring calls and visits to check that timely action is being taken to raise standards.

This includes schools with any evaluation area graded “consideration wanted”.

From November, it’s proposed that Ofsted will not perform ungraded inspections of state faculties which implies each college will know that its subsequent routine Ofsted inspection will probably be a full, graded one.

Under the proposals, the watchdog may even embody extra contextual information in inspections and experiences – resembling learner traits, absence and attendance figures, and native space demographics.

Inspectors will use this info to assist perceive the circumstances wherein leaders are working.

A 12-week session on the reforms is being launched on Monday.

Ofsted will publish a report on the result of the session in the summertime, and the ultimate agreed reforms will probably be carried out from this autumn.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ofsted-schools-labour-bridget-phillipson-b2690782.html