Ofsted overhauls school inspection framework
The UK government has announced significant changes to the Ofsted inspection process, marking a new era in school evaluation and improvement. These updates reflect a commitment to providing a more nuanced and comprehensive assessment of school performance, addressing longstanding concerns about the impact of single-word judgements on schools and staff.
Removal of single-word judgements
The most immediate and notable change is the scrapping of single-word judgements for schools. Instead, Ofsted will now provide separate grades across four key areas:
- Quality of education
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Personal development
- Leadership and management
This change aims to provide a more detailed and fair assessment of school performance, moving away from the reductive nature of single headline grades.
Introduction of school report cards
From September 2025, the government will introduce school report cards. These will offer parents a fuller picture of school performance and are designed to drive more effective improvement.
Focus on rapid improvement
Where schools are identified as struggling, the government will prioritise rapidly implementing plans to improve the education and experience of children, rather than relying purely on changing schools’ management.
Regional Improvement Teams
From early 2025, the government will introduce Regional Improvement Teams. These teams will work directly with struggling schools to quickly address areas of weakness, meeting a manifesto commitment to support school improvement.
Continued intervention for serious cases
In cases of the most serious concern, the government will continue to intervene, including by issuing an academy order. Ofsted will still identify these schools – which would have been graded as inadequate under the previous system.
Changes to the ‘2RI’ policy
The policy of automatic intervention for schools receiving two consecutive ‘requires improvement’ judgements will change. Instead, these schools will receive support from high-performing schools to drive up standards quickly.
Action for schools
Schools should prepare for these changes by reviewing their self-evaluation processes and ensuring they can provide evidence of performance across all four key areas. Staff training on the new inspection framework will be crucial to ensure readiness for future inspections.
In conclusion, these Ofsted updates represent a significant shift in how schools will be evaluated and supported. The changes aim to provide a fairer, more comprehensive assessment of school performance and to focus on rapid improvement where needed. Schools should be prepared to adapt to this new approach to inspection and evaluation.
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