No more one word OFSTED gradings

Mollygo

Mamie. 👏👏

Listening to the news, tonight, I heard parents saying they want more information.

Perhaps removing the banner headline will mean they actually bother to read the information that’s been there in the report for them to read already. Or then again, maybe it won’t.

Indeed. The information is there and usually pretty clear I would say.
I had a bit of a wry smile at the report that there would be teams of regional advisers to provide support to schools. Like the ones there used to be before their budgets were slashed?

Mamie. 👏👏

Listening to the news, tonight, I heard parents saying they want more information.

Perhaps removing the banner headline will mean they actually bother to read the information that’s been there in the report for them to read already. Or then again, maybe it won’t.

Having only read two reports, probably written by the same team, perhaps I was over generalising.

Love the way you dismiss OFSTED reports as not showing intelligent analysis and not requiring proper observation.
Having experienced several I’m happy for those words of support, even though ours have all been successful.

When DD moved she kept the eldest at a school, that was now about half an hour away on foot, because it was good school and he was happy and settled. The younger GS went into reception at a small infant/junior school that was about one minute's walk away. It soon became apparent that the small school had an ineffectual head teacher with the result that there were curriculum and safeguarding issues.

That year both schools were inspected by Ofsted and both were rated Good. The reports for both were similar and showed very little insight.

DD and a significant number of other very local parents, became so disgusted with the small school that they moved their children away despite having to make a longer daily journey.

I only hope that the new style reports are based on proper observation and intelligent analysis.

Good! I’ve seen first hand the damage that some of these “judgements” can do and the state some teaching staff and heads can get into when no notice inspections are foisted on them.

As far as I can see the key areas for inspection; quality of education (standards), behaviour, personal development and leadership haven't changed very much. The headline one (or two) word judgements of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate will go. The reports online have always included the more detailed judgements in the key areas, but you have to click down a level.

Chocolatelovinggran

Praise be: maybe we could see a return to supporting schools and the staff and pupils where it is needed.
This might help: a damning word does not.

Agreed. Its very easy to find out on the Ofsted website which will presumably change to include more in depth reports.

Praise be: maybe we could see a return to supporting schools and the staff and pupils where it is needed.
This might help: a damning word does not.

accessible

The one word judgement in Ruth Perry's case was 'inadequate' from 'outstanding' and was based on gaps in the school's safeguarding records, only one aspect of a school's performance.
Presumably the Report cards will contain more information in an accessiblr form rather than reading a jargon-filled dossier.