Ofsted has revoked the “Outstanding” rating from nearly 500 top-performing secondary schools overnight due to a new grading system. The overall grade system—Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate—has been abolished. Ofsted will continue inspections but will now only provide ratings on specific aspects of a school’s performance.
In the latest inspections from September 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024, Ofsted inspected 655 secondary schools. Out of these, 137 schools, or 21%, received the “Outstanding” rating. As of July 31, before the new changes, there were 495 Outstanding schools in England, representing 15% of English secondary schools.
Regional differences were evident. London had the highest proportion of Outstanding schools at 27%, followed by the South East (17%), East of England (16%), and Yorkshire and the Humber (16%). The North West had the lowest proportion at 8%. In specific council areas, Merton in London had the highest proportion, with six out of nine schools rated Outstanding (67%). Ealing (59%), Islington (50%), and Kensington and Chelsea (50%) followed. Outside London, Slough (47%) and York (44%) had the highest proportions of Outstanding schools.
One-word grades for schools, like ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’, are being scrapped.
This follows the suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry, after an Ofsted inspection found her school ‘inadequate’.@MrBradleyHarris reports. pic.twitter.com/GjmQYVGwwj
— Channel 5 News (@5_News) September 2, 2024
All these Outstanding ratings have now been abolished. Future inspections will provide grades across sub-categories like quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Schools will be inspected against the same standards, but only individual aspect grades will be issued.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated the need for Ofsted reform is clear, aiming to provide a broader, clearer picture of school performance for parents. She emphasised that the removal of headline grades is a significant reform for children, parents, and teachers.
The changes follow debates about whether a single overall grade can reflect a school’s complexity. This debate intensified after an inquest in 2023 revealed an inspection contributed to the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after learning her school was to be graded Inadequate.
This is a momentous day for the education system.
It’s now important that careful thought goes into the balanced scorecard approach, and that we move towards a more intelligent accountability system, which also encourages greater #pureaccountability.https://t.co/5Vz9Z1Ee5Y
— Forum Strategy (@ForumStrategyUK) September 2, 2024
The Department for Education stated the old system did not fairly assess schools and was supported by only a minority of parents and teachers. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, welcomed the removal of simplistic one-word judgments, stating they were harmful. He appreciated the Government’s focus on supporting schools to improve rather than resorting to heavy-handed interventions or governance changes.
What Other Media Are Saying
- BBC News reports on the immediate changes to the Ofsted grading system for schools in England, aiming to alleviate pressure and provide clearer insights for parents, following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.(read more)
- Daily Record reports that the sister of a teacher who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her school praises the decision to scrap the grading system, citing its reductive and harmful impact on teachers’ mental health and education standards.(read more)
- Cambridge News provides an overview of nine outstanding state-run secondary schools in Cambridgeshire, highlighting that 19% of these schools are currently rated outstanding, while another 19% require improvement.(read more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions asked about this news
Why were nearly 500 secondary schools stripped of their ‘Outstanding’ rating?
Ofsted introduced a new grading system, removing overall grades and focusing on individual performance aspects.
What will Ofsted focus on in future school inspections?
Ofsted will grade schools on quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
Which region had the highest proportion of ‘Outstanding’ schools before the new changes?
London had the highest proportion, with 27% of schools rated ‘Outstanding’.
What prompted the change away from single-headline grades?
Debate over the simplicity of overall grades and an inquest into a head teacher’s death intensified calls for change.
How will the new grading system benefit parents?
Parents will get a clearer, broader picture of school performance through detailed, aspect-specific grades.