Dean welcomes changes to Ofsted ratings

The Dean of the School of Education and Communities has broadly welcomed the decision to scrap single-word ratings for schools in England.

The government has announced the assessments will be replaced by report cards focused on improving standards and helping parents to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a school.

Dean Mr Richard Harty said, “The move to reports that focus on what schools do well and what they are working on to improve further is welcome.  

Alongside the provision of regional improvement teams to work with schools - who would have been registered as RI [requires improvement] - will provide a vehicle for school improvement. The key will of course be in getting this right.

The current rating system for schools in England, which includes categories such as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate, is set to be replaced as part of significant reforms announced by the government on Monday (2 September).  

Under the new system, state schools undergoing inspection this year will be evaluated based on four key areas: quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. This new approach will also be extended to independent schools, early years settings, colleges, and children's social care providers.

The changes have been positively received by education unions and the teaching community, who had long called for a revamp of the school inspection system. These reforms follow a previous commitment made by Labour before the election.

The School of Education and Communities focuses on education, early childhood, special needs, social work, teacher education and training. It has strong partnerships with schools in the community and was itself the subject of an Ofsted inspection this year, receiving top ratings.  

The primary and further education provision was graded as "Outstanding," while the secondary age provision was graded as "Good” in a report released in June.

A joint inspection by 11 of His Majesty’s Inspectors and one Ofsted Inspector in April involved meetings with partnership leaders, including the Dean and the Head of Department, as well as trainees, mentors, tutors, and other stakeholders.  

According to the report, aspiring teachers receive unparalleled preparation and career support for their education journey.