Ofsted reforms will not create easier system, Phillipson warns school leaders

The Government’s reforms to Ofsted will not create an easier system, the Education Secretary has warned school leaders.

Changes announced by the Government mean that 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.

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.

In an interview with Tes magazine, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “School leaders need to be aware that this is not going to be an easier system.

“It is going to be a different system and in many ways a more robust system that will shine a light on areas where there is poor performance (and) where we need to make more progress, especially when it comes to support for children experiencing the greatest levels of disadvantage.”

It comes after the Conservative shadow education secretary warned the reforms risk being a “step backwards” in terms of schools’ improvement.

Damian Hinds said: “I worry these changes mean less transparency for parents and a step backwards from a proven school improvement approach with academy trusts to a directive top-down approach, and I urge the Secretary of State and her minister to assess the true impact this will have on young people’s prospects before it’s too late.”

Ms Phillipson also spoke about other areas of focus in her new role during the interview, including reforms to the system for children with Send (Special educational needs and disabilities).

She told Tes: “In order to secure long-term reform, we need buy-in to that change and we need to work through what the options are.

“So I would urge for a bit of patience…because the last thing parents or teachers would want to see is for the system to become even more difficult than is the case right now.

“We are spending a lot of money as a country on what sometimes amounts to very poor outcomes for vulnerable children.”

Speaking on children’s social care, she said much of the money being spent by the Department for Education is on “crisis intervention” when it needs to focus on early intervention, Tes reported.

She accused the previous government of placing the issue in a “too-difficult box” which has left schools “in a situation where they are having to deal with safeguarding concerns and worries that go beyond their level of expertise”, according to the magazine.