Bradford union and trust welcome Ofsted grading change

Schools will no longer be issued with one of four headline grades for overall effectiveness – outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate – when inspected.

Many have claimed reductive single headline grades fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance across a range of areas.

Tom Bright, Bradford branch secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said the overall rating created a "competitive environment" for schools.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: "One school would claim to be 'outstanding' while another may get only get good with outstanding features, so they could not claim that.

"All schools get reports of 20-30 pages. Anyone who reads the reports in full get a better picture of what that school is.

"Reducing it to a one-word headline makes people not bother to reading the full report.

"They just go: 'That one is good and that one is not so good. I want my child to go to the Good or Outstanding one'.

"That is what everyone wants but it is about investing in schools to make sure they are all good and not just creating a competitive market where everyone is trying to get out of school with a bad label and go to one that has a good one."

For inspections this academic year, parents will still see the four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that the government could intervene if a school is rated as “inadequate” in any of the four sub-categories – and they could be forced to convert into an academy.

However, the reform will pave the way for the introduction of School Report Cards from September 2025.

The government says this will provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement.

On the report cards, Mr Bright added: "I think that is a good idea.

"One of the things we think would be helpful is to have here are three things you are doing well and here are three things you need to improve on which is very much what the report card would be.

"It would give a much fairer picture and it means all schools can work on improving something.

"It should be a more balanced way of supporting schools going forward, preventing knee-jerk reactions from parents."

Changes to how Ofsted rate schools are being made (Image: PA) Carol Dewhurst, Chief Executive at Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust which has many schools across the district, also welcomed the new measures.

She said: “I am really pleased to understand some of the changes that the Department for Education and Ofsted are implementing in shifting away from broad, single word judgements which can unfairly label schools and communities.

"I am particularly pleased to see the move towards a school report card format which will look at a more nuanced understanding of where a school is performing well and where improvements are needed.

"I would welcome a report card which focuses on a school’s inclusive approach to making sure the needs of each child, and particularly those which are most vulnerable, are well supported.

"As a trust, we will look to continue to support the Ofsted consultation on how a new framework could look and feel from September 2025."

Ms Phillipson said single-phrase inspection headline grades for schools in England are being scrapped with immediate effect as they cannot capture “the entire essence of a school”. 

She added the death of headteacher Ruth Perry made the need for reform of the inspectorate “absolutely clear”.

Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating, “outstanding”, to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.

The Prime Minister has said the scrapping of single-phrase inspection headline grades for schools in England will be a relief for parents.

Asked whether he was sacrificing simplicity for parents, Sir Keir Starmer said: “This move is about driving up standards, making sure we’ve got a richer picture so parents can see in a more accountable way the real strength of a school and making sure we’ve got the improvements in to catch schools quickly.”