Responding to Ofsted's move to display
inspection sub-judgements at the top of the report web page along
with the overall effectiveness grade, Pepe Di'Iasio, General
Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“While we welcome the intention to give parents a more rounded
picture of a school than just the headline single-phrase
judgement which is the cause of so many problems, this is just a
cosmetic change.
“The problem with the inspection system is not presentational but
the fact that reducing everything that a school does to a blunt
label is inherently flawed and deeply destructive. It raises the
stakes of an inspection to a level that is certain to cause
stress and anxiety, drive people out of the profession, and which
is often counterproductive when a negative grade stigmatises a
school.
“It is disappointing that Ofsted's Big Listen does not actually
ask respondents for a view about single-phrase judgements when
this is the single most pressing issue. We understand that
scrapping these judgements is a matter for the government rather
than Ofsted, but there really should be a conduit for views on
this matter. We are encouraging school and college leaders to
share their views on single-phrase judgements in their response
to the Big Listen, despite this not being explicitly requested.
“The government must stop digging in its feet over this issue,
listen to the virtual consensus in favour of scrapping
single-phrase judgements, and act now.”
