Education Secretary will ‘take action’ if school receives poor Ofsted inspection

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said she will not hesitate to “take action” where schools are failing.

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 said 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.

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

This academic year, parents will still be able to see the four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

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

Ms Phillipson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “As Secretary of State, I won’t hesitate to take action where schools are failing.

“I want to make sure that we drive up standards, that we make sure schools are getting the support that they need to make improvement.

“I won’t hesitate to take action if schools are not making that improvement because our children only get one chance when they’re at school, one chance, and we have to get that right.”

From September next year, parents will be able to view a new report card which will describe what inspectors have found at a school.

Ms Phillipson told the Today programme: “I think parents are capable of understanding a wide range of information, not just everything being boiled down into one word.

“The report card system that we intend to work with Ofsted to introduce will capture a wider range of data and information that I think parents do want to hear about.”

Ofsted, the education watchdog for England, has come under scrutiny after the death of Mrs Perry.

In December, a coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection on November 15 and 16 in 2022 “contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death.

Mrs Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: “We are delighted and relieved that the Government has decided to take this important and long-overdue step.

“Single-word headline judgments are dangerous and reductive. They are unpopular with parents and teachers, and their simplistic impact has made the daily job of improving school standards harder for everyone except the bureaucrats.

“The shame, injustice, and high-stakes consequences of an ‘inadequate’ judgement, together with the rude and intimidating conduct of the inspection itself, were the cause of my sister’s mental deterioration and suicide.”

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, the Education Secretary said: “I think what Ruth’s death did do – and the campaigning work of Julia and the family – was to shine a light on the need for reform and to make absolutely clear that we need a better system for families, for parents, and for children, but also for staff within our schools as well.”

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 told the media on a visit to a primary school in Orpington: “This move today 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.”

Sir Keir added: “We’ll be absolutely pressing schools on standards and I don’t accept that parents will be confused.”

The Prime Minister said he thinks a lot of parents “will be really relieved” to have a “richer picture, more accountability and that you’ve got a Government that is absolutely determined to drive up standards”.

From early 2025, the Government will also introduce regional improvement teams that will work with struggling schools to address areas of weakness.

In cases of the most serious concern, the Government will continue to intervene, including by issuing an academy order, which may in some cases mean transferring to new management.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, said: “We have been clear that simplistic one-word judgments are harmful and we are pleased the Government has taken swift action to remove them.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Scrapping the headline grade is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, the NEU still thinks that Ofsted needs to be abolished and replaced.

“Ofsted is toxic for teachers and school leaders, and no amount of rebrand or reform will help Ofsted win back the trust of the profession.

“We need to see Ofsted replaced with a system of accountability that fosters a culture of collaboration between all stakeholders. One that creates a culture of trust, transparency and a shared responsibility for the quality of education.”