School inspections could focus on outcomes for vulnerable pupils and attendance

Schools in England are to face increased scrutiny on how they support vulnerable children as part of reforms to the education inspectorate.

Sir Martyn Oliver, chief inspector of Ofsted, said schools could be judged on how well they tackle attendance and cater for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) under proposals.

Ofsted, the education watchdog for England, has announced a number of changes following its “Big Listen” consultation earlier this year – including plans to introduce a focus on inclusion in a “report card” system.

It comes after the Government announced on Monday that single-phrase inspection headline grades for schools in England are being scrapped.

The watchdog has come under greater scrutiny after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

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

From September 2025, parents will be able to view a report card in all areas which Ofsted inspects so they have a more detailed assessment of a school.

But 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.

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.

A coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 “contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death.

Under changes, Ofsted said the publication of inspection reports will be paused when safeguarding concerns are identified in an otherwise high-performing school until inspectors revisit the school within three months.

The watchdog said the change – which will come into effect this month – will give schools more time to remedy issues without Government intervention and parents will still be informed about issues in the meantime.

Sir Martyn said: “This is the beginning of a new chapter for Ofsted as we reset our priorities, refine our practices and rebuild our relationships.”

He added: “The tragic death of Ruth Perry was a catalyst for this change, but the case for change has been building for years.

“We recognise the growing challenges facing education and social care, particularly since the pandemic.

“We don’t want to add to this pressure. Many of the changes we are introducing are aimed at reducing the pressure on those we inspect.”

The Ofsted chief said a new report card for parents – which will be consulted on in early 2025 – will allow for a “nuanced description” of when a school is performing well or not in a certain area.

Sir Martyn said there is a “growing and widening disadvantage gap” since the pandemic, and he added that parents were “critical” that Ofsted reports do not currently say whether a school is good for children with Send.

He said: “It might say it’s a good or outstanding school, but that might not be the impression that parents of the children who are most vulnerable have.

“So we think it’s really important that we respond to parents’ cause for concern and give them that nuance going forward.”

When asked by the media what could be included in the new report card, Sir Martyn said “I think behaviour and attendance separately stand out.”

He added: “We know that attendance is a national issue and so I think attendance should be pulled out and focused on separately.”

Parents in England who take their children out of class without permission are facing higher fines this academic year as part of a Government drive to boost school attendance following the pandemic.

In February, the Department for Education announced that absence fines would start at £80 if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 from this September.

Ofsted has said it will work with the Government to introduce new annual safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling reviews for schools, and it will consult on a new standalone assessment of safeguarding in its reports.

Sir Martyn said: “I absolutely truly believe that we can hold schools to account, and even greater account, by having a far more nuanced report which actually points to individual areas of strength and areas for improvement, rather than just summarising it all down to one word at the end.”

Ofsted plans to introduce a new inspection framework for schools, early years and further education – which will have greater focus on pupil outcomes to drive higher standards – alongside a range of measures to reduce anxiety for those being inspected.

The watchdog will also announce all routine inspections of schools on a Monday, with inspections taking place over the following two days, to help reduce the stress of waiting.

Ofsted said formal consultations on the report card, new framework, and inclusion and safeguarding grading will open in early 2025.

It comes after more than 20,000 responses were received to Ofsted’s online consultation on the future of the inspectorate.

Researchers, commissioned by Ofsted, surveyed 8,000 parents and members of the general public and more than 7,000 professionals working across education and children’s social care as part of the work.

Around half (49%) of parents opposed the single-word judgment and 29% strongly opposed it, the survey suggested.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Many of the recommendations in this response, some of which are coming in with immediate effect, are very welcome.

“In particular, the greater focus on inclusion and Send, better training and support for Ofsted inspectors to improve consistency of inspection, and a shift away from graded judgments reflect the views of school leaders.”

He added: “However, school leaders will understandably be concerned about the timescales and pace of reform, and whether the changes go far enough.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “We are pleased that the inspectorate is committing to ensuring that inspections are more tailored to the relevant phase and to improving training for inspectors.

“The shift to giving schools notice of routine inspections only on a Monday could be a positive step, although the feedback from the pilot will be important.

“These are small steps within the existing system, but more fundamental reform is now essential.”

An independent learning review, led by Dame Christine Gilbert and also published on Tuesday, concluded that Ofsted’s initial response to the death of Mrs Perry appeared “defensive and complacent”.

Professor Julia Waters, Mrs Perry’s sister, said: “The mountain of evidence that Ofsted has published today makes for very difficult reading in places, but it is sadly not a surprise to my family, or the many people who have suffered as a result of their experience of badly-run inspections.”

She added: “Winning back people’s trust will take time and consistent action. Ofsted stands for standards in education, and the organisation needs to ensure its own self-stated standards of empathy and respect are consistently seen to be higher.”