Written by Nathan Standleybbc news
A bright future for childrenMPs have called for an end to single-word Ofsted judgments after school inspections.
The cross-party Education Select Committee's report also said schools should not be automatically rated as “inadequate” because of minor safety concerns.
But most in the sector still want “strong accountability” for schools, it said.
Ofsted said it welcomed the report and would act on its recommendations.
Only the minister can change a one- or two-word judgment such as “insufficient” or “needs improvement.”
The report said there was “general agreement” among school leaders, teachers and parents about the need for an independent audit body for schools.
But it said its relationship with Ofsted was “extremely strained” and trust was “alarmingly low”.
of Appointment of Sir Martin OliverThe report said the appointment of a new chief inspector general in January provided “an important opportunity to reset and restore these relationships.”
The committee's investigation concluded just weeks after the inquest into the death of Ruth Perry, who took her own life after undergoing an Ofsted inspection at her school in November 2022.
She was headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire for 13 years.
The coroner said the inspection was at times “rude and intimidating” and downgraded her school to the lowest rating of “inadequate”. contributed to her death The school has since been re-rated as 'good'.
The death of Mrs. Perry Calls for changes to Ofsted from across the industry. Following the inquest in December, coroner Heidi Connor warned there was a risk of further deaths “unless action is taken”.
Ofsted has since committed to overhauling the lessons learned. For the first time, I fully apologized. for the role it played in Mrs. Perry's suicide.
An Ofsted spokesperson said: 'While we have started to change the way we work, we know that more must be done to address the pressures faced by school leaders and staff. I know that,” he said.
Mrs Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, welcomed the committee's report and called on the Government to act on it.
In an interview with BBC 5 Live, she said one- or two-word judgments were “dangerous, misleading and short-sighted”.
“All I can say is that one word was fatal to my sister,” she said.
The committee's report said one of the “most strongly criticized” aspects of the inspection process was the one- or two-word sentences handed down to schools after inspections.
Ofsted said it needed to work with the Department for Education to find alternatives.
Interventions for schools rated as “inadequate” have been put under “additional stress” by the creation of a “high-stakes” inspection system, including the loss of principals' jobs and the establishment of schools, the report says. added.
The report recommended that such measures should not be imposed until schools rated inadequate are re-inspected for “non-complex” issues that can be resolved quickly.
It added that schools should not be rated inadequate for safety measures unless they have “fundamentally failed” to keep children safe.
death of the head
How Ruth Perry's death put Ofsted in the spotlight.
Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only)
In Sheffield, Thousands of parents signed the petition last year King Edward VII Secondary School was rated inadequate by Ofsted inspectors after it was told it would have to become an academy.
In April 2023, hundreds of people took part in a protest outside Sheffield City Hall, demanding that the academy plans be scrapped.
Mother Emma Wilkinson said: “For us, the 'not enough' wasn't simple, because while we were not good enough in one area – safety measures – we were good in other areas.”
“Personally, I don't think the word 'inadequate' is helpful. I think we should talk about areas where a school can improve, because to me it really describes a failing school. And King That was clearly not the case at Edward.”
“It's not that we haven't let the children down, but we've been labeled with that awful word of inadequate, and that label is being applied to all staff, teachers, children and parents.”
He also called for inspectors to listen to parents during the inspection process and recognize that schools are already under “huge pressure”.
BBC/Branwen JeffriesTom Middlehurst, inspection expert at the Association of School and College Leaders, said he was “delighted” the committee had come up with this result. Added to calls for the abolition of one-word judgments.
He said the work the new chief inspector general had already done was cause for “cautious optimism”, but added that the report “highlights the scale of the challenge ahead”.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said the committee's report meant there was “overwhelming agreement that one-word judgments are outdated”.
But National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said the report “does not capture the true scale of the problem”.
“Any transformation model must start with an understanding of the deep crisis schools face in terms of workload, staffing, attendance and mental health,” he said.
“This understanding does not appear to be reflected in these recommendations. We acknowledge that these recommendations bring greater transparency to Ofsted’s work, but they fall far short of the reforms we need. .”
