‘Rehash of dangerous system’: Sister of Ruth Perry fears Ofsted’s new proposed grading scale

The reforms follow criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, ITV News' Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports

The sister of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after an Ofsted inspection at her school, fears the watchdog's new grading reports are a “rehash” of the “dangerous” system.

The government announced last year that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness for schools in England would be scrapped.

Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

The reforms follow criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Mrs Perry, who took her own life in 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns.

Her sister Professor Julia Waters said that while the new model has some improvements, it “retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system, while introducing a series of changes with potential new risks to the wellbeing of teachers and headteachers”.

Professor Waters said: “My sister Ruth Perry died as the result of a rude and intimidating Ofsted inspection, and its disproportionate consequences on her and her school.

“It is two years since Ruth’s death, and a year since Sir Martyn Oliver took charge of Ofsted.

“Ofsted says it has listened, but it still does not appear to have adequately learned.

“I am worried that this proposal is a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace.”

Professor Waters added that the proposal appears to have fed the single-word judgments “through an online thesaurus”, adding that “other elements of the report card design are ill-thought-through and potentially dangerous”.

What is Ofsted's new grading system, and how will schools be assessed?

Schools in England could now be graded across a variety of different areas – including attendance and inclusion – using a colour-coded five-point scale.

Under Ofsted’s proposed new report card system, schools would be rated using colour-coded categories, from red for “causing concern” and orange for “attention needed” to shades of green for “secure,” “strong,” and “exemplary.”

Under the inspectorate’s proposals, schools could be assessed in at least eight areas, each graded and summarised in a report card for parents.

The proposed evaluation areas would be leadership and governance, curriculum, developing teaching, achievement, behaviour and attitudes, attendance, personal development and wellbeing, and inclusion.

Schools which have early years provision or a sixth form would also be graded separately on these areas.

Safeguarding would not be graded with a five-point scale instead it would be assessed as either met or not met under the plans.

Inspectors will also look at how well schools support vulnerable and disadvantaged children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as part of a new focus on inclusion.

Ofsted is also proposing that all schools with an identified need for improvement will receive monitoring calls and visits to check that timely action is being taken to raise standards.

This includes schools with any evaluation area graded “attention needed”.

From November, it is also proposed that Ofsted will no longer carry out ungraded inspections of state schools which means every school will know that its next routine Ofsted inspection will be a full, graded one.

The watchdog will also include more contextual data in inspections and reports – such as learner characteristics, absence and attendance figures, and local area demographics.

Inspectors will use this information to help understand the circumstances in which leaders are operating.

The proposals have been criticised by Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, who said they “suggest an inspectorate determined to hold on to a model of inspection that is long past its sell-by date”.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), also said the proposed school report cards “appear to be even worse than the single-word judgments they replace”.

Previously, schools were judged on the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

In the consultation document, Ofsted said: “We will continue to call out unacceptable practice, as we have always done. That is our duty, and it’s a moral duty as much as a professional one.

“But these proposals allow us to highlight poor practice with more precision – pointing laser-like to specific issues, not shining a floodlight on the whole provider.”

Sir Martyn, chief inspector of Ofsted, said the death of Mrs Perry has been on his mind “ever since it happened”.

He said the “beauty” of a report card – which he said is “a bit like a child’s school report card” – is that it is different from the previous system in that it is “fairer” and “more proportionate”.

“It highlights all the things that schools excel at as well as those where they could improve.

“And our report card will give a far better balanced, more realistic and a fairer picture of all of a school’s strengths and areas for improvement,” he said.

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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will make a speech about the overhaul, as a 12-week consultation is launched on Monday.

Phillipson will cast the reforms as a “more rigorous system, raising the bar of our expectations, on what good really looks like when it comes to the futures of our children”.

Her wide-ranging speech is also expected to set out the Government’s education plans, including delivering improved outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ofsted will publish a report on the outcome of the consultation in the summer, and the final agreed reforms will be implemented this autumn.

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