It is good to see one-word Ofsted grades for English schools scrapped after a head teacher’s death because of them – but telling that this is happening the day before a major report on what happened.
A single-word grade of “Inadequate” has been deemed instrumental in the suicide of then-head teacher at Caversham Primary School, Ruth Perry, in January 2023.
She had been informed that her school had been graded “Inadequate” and was living in fear of humiliation in a public backlash when Ofsted’s report was set to be published.
It seems the grade related to only one aspect of the school’s work – systems and training for keeping children safe. No child had come to harm and it seems the issues could be fixed quickly.
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But the damning one-word grade meant Ms Perry’s school was equated with schools that could be described (as the BBC did in its article) as “dreadful in every respect”.
Now the overall grade categories of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate will no longer be issued after a coroner said the Ofsted inspection contributed to Ms Perry’s death because the “transparency and ease” of the overall grading system was not weighed against teacher welfare – and Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Walters, campaigned for the one-word grades to be scrapped.
Ofsted will still inspect schools against the same standards, and reports will continue to give details on specific aspects of how a school is performing.
According to the BBC,
Early next year, school improvement teams will be set up in every area, and the government said it would continue to intervene in struggling schools.
By September 2025, parents will be able to view a new “report card” describing what inspectors have found at a school.
For inspections this academic year, parents will see grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
Ofsted now revisits a school graded Inadequate over safeguarding within three months and an inspection can be be paused if a head teacher is in severe mental distress.
The changes will be funded by the government, with money freed by removing tax breaks from private schools.
And why is all this being announced now? Perhaps it is because
an independent review of Ofsted’s response to Ruth Perry’s death is expected to be published on 3 September alongside further details of how inspections might change.
I have strong concerns about timing like this. Is today’s announcement intended to blunt any sharp criticisms in that report? If so, I would find it cynical in the extreme.
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One-word Ofsted grades for English schools scrapped after a head teacher’s death
It is good to see one-word Ofsted grades for English schools scrapped after a head teacher’s death because of them – but telling that this is happening the day before a major report on what happened.
A single-word grade of “Inadequate” has been deemed instrumental in the suicide of then-head teacher at Caversham Primary School, Ruth Perry, in January 2023.
She had been informed that her school had been graded “Inadequate” and was living in fear of humiliation in a public backlash when Ofsted’s report was set to be published.
It seems the grade related to only one aspect of the school’s work – systems and training for keeping children safe. No child had come to harm and it seems the issues could be fixed quickly.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
But the damning one-word grade meant Ms Perry’s school was equated with schools that could be described (as the BBC did in its article) as “dreadful in every respect”.
Now the overall grade categories of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement and Inadequate will no longer be issued after a coroner said the Ofsted inspection contributed to Ms Perry’s death because the “transparency and ease” of the overall grading system was not weighed against teacher welfare – and Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Walters, campaigned for the one-word grades to be scrapped.
Ofsted will still inspect schools against the same standards, and reports will continue to give details on specific aspects of how a school is performing.
According to the BBC,
The changes will be funded by the government, with money freed by removing tax breaks from private schools.
And why is all this being announced now? Perhaps it is because
I have strong concerns about timing like this. Is today’s announcement intended to blunt any sharp criticisms in that report? If so, I would find it cynical in the extreme.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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