Is it really any better?

So, this week has seen the launch of the consultation on the new OFSTED Report Card.

After months of debate and rhetoric around the well-being and workload of leaders and school staff, is this proposal really any better than what we already have/have had in the past – the simple answer is, it appears unlikely for all sort of reasons. There is so much to say but as a blog should be no more than 1000 words (I am reliably informed) I am going to limit my opinions.

Firstly, the limited value of a single word judgement to a community education provider had (or so I thought) been widely accepted as not encapsulating the complexity of a school as an education provider, social care provider, family hub, well-being and counselling centre (to name but a few of the extensive services that schools provide alongside their core function of learning to both children, young people, families and wider communities). However, the single word judgements as headings on a report card appear to be remaining, though the powers that be will argue that they have changed as a consequence of the negative connotation and feedback from leaders of, for example, the word ‘outstanding’.  But is there really any difference between the word ‘outstanding’ and ‘exemplary’?  Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Exemplary is defined as ‘that sets or provides a good example, admirable, commendable, excellent, outstanding, perfect.

Mmmm – see what I mean?

Secondly, the suggested categories are now more extensive as a discreet set of ‘provider evaluations’. We currently have 4 (since the removal of Overall Effectiveness in Sept 2024), although 5 if you have an additional Early Years provision or a Sixth Form provision.  The proposal appears to suggest there will be nine areas of separate judgement with a 10th focussing on Safeguarding.  This will, in my opinion increase the workload of leaders and school-based staff and may also be a challenge for the Inspectorate to collate rigorous and robust evidence across this breadth of ‘provider evaluations’ in the duration of their visit.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, there is limited detail as to how these ‘evaluations’ are going to be reached.

I think this is a backward step from where we have been.

In the 2019 Inspection Handbook, it was clear how judgements would be made and the evidence and research behind the Evaluation Handbook was sound and shared with professionals.  I have no issue at all with accountability for the spending of tax payers money (I am after all a tax payer) and we are accountable for the life chances of children and young people (I am after all a Mum) but it should be an open and transparent process with a sector wide culture of improvement at the heart.

And finally, parents!

The suggestion is that this new report card is aimed at improving access to information about the quality of education providers for parents. This is the point I find most baffling.  The suggested format for the Report Card is far more complicated.

In my experience many parents pay little attention to the Inspection Report, they listen to their community, their child and they visit the school to understand the ethos of the organisation prior to making a life defining choice for their child’s education.

I was optimistic that the discussion and the focus on the accountability structure would result in a well-developed proposal and robust consultation.  I am interested in the wording in various media articles which state ‘from Autumn 2025 and after a consultation, a new report card will come into effect’ - that sounds to me like this is a done deal.

However, I would urge school leaders and anyone who is interested in the education of children to respond to the consultation which closes on 22 April and who knows, maybe we can bring about a sensible change - we live in hope.

Sarah Young, Young+