ASCL responds to parent survey on Ofsted's report cards
Commenting on a YouGov survey of parents' views on Ofsted's
proposals for report cards, Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary of
the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“We support the principle of report cards and broadly agree with
Ofsted's proposals on the areas to be evaluated. However, we have
serious concerns about the proposed five-point grading scale.
Ofsted's plan to introduce ‘strong' and ‘exemplary' ratings
effectively suggests that being ‘secure' is not good enough.
“This approach risks intensifying the pressure on education staff
at a time when workload pressures are high, wellbeing is often
poor, and teacher shortages are widespread. Furthermore, it is
difficult to see how inspectors could reliably make so many
finely balanced judgements across multiple areas in a single
inspection.
“We doubt that parents would support a system which worsens
teacher shortages and is at significant risk of being unreliable
and inconsistent.
“A more effective and sustainable approach would be a three-point
grading scale – of either ‘secure', ‘attention needed' or
‘causing concern' – with an area in inspection reports to
highlight exceptional practice.
“This would provide parents with clear and reliable information
while avoiding unnecessary harm to the wellbeing of the education
workforce.”
