�� comment on Ofsted reform proposals

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Ofsted inspection

�� comments on new Ofsted proposals

News

03/02/2025

Today Ofsted has published proposals for a new inspection model for English schools, built around a new “report card” format. The old single-word judgement system is being replaced by a new five-point grading system across eight to ten evaluation areas, plus a “met” or “not met” judgement on safeguarding. The plan is to introduce the new system from November, with an end to ungraded inspections, and a new approach to monitoring inspections.

In parallel, the Department for Education (DfE) is also consulting on changes to intervention and support in both maintained schools and academies, which are intended to be introduced alongside the Ofsted reforms in the autumn. These changes are build around the new RISE school improvement teams, with a new focus on support and collaboration rather than immediate compulsory structural change. Nonetheless, where the RISE approach cannot resolve underperformance, academisation or rebrokering will remain the likely outcome.

The full proposals and the opportunity to respond can be found here:

In response to the launch of the consultation on proposed Ofsted reforms, �� Chief Executive Emma Balchin said:
“�� welcome many of the changes being proposed, but are clear that today needs to be the start of a conversation with the sector, not its conclusion.
As the national representative body for school and trust governance, �� will always defend the importance of rigorous and robust external accountability, to compliment and validate the scrutiny conducted by boards throughout the year. It is because the work of schools, their staff and their governance volunteers is so vital to the life chances of our young people, that we need to ensure that no child is being let down.
The proposals published today deliver many changes for which �� and its members have long advocated. The removal of single-word headline judgements to allow a more nuanced summary of a school’s strengths and weaknesses is welcome, as is the elevated focus on inclusion. We are grateful that Ofsted have listened to our representations that governance should be explicitly included in the title of an evaluation area to recognise its importance, and we are also pleased that these changes are being accompanied by a new approach to intervention which seeks to prioritise collaboration and support over immediate compulsory structural change.
Nonetheless, despite these positive steps, we cannot forget how we got here. The death of Ruth Perry was a tragedy which served as an impetus for change, but calls for reform had been mounting for years beforehand as the sector lost faith in Ofsted. The content of the inspection framework is second to the need for the sector to be reassured that inspections will be delivered fairly, consistently and with due regard to the wellbeing of staff. This can only be achieved if today is the beginning of a true consultation, defined by meaningful engagement with stakeholders and the potential for significant changes to the proposals where necessary. �� will be at the forefront of that conversation, listening to our members and ensuring that Ofsted hears the views of the governance community.
It is our view that if these reforms are to represent a move toward a significantly improved accountability framework, the role of governance as the primary form of responsive, contextually relevant and intelligent accountability simply needs to be taken more seriously by the sector as a whole. This does not diminish the role of external inspection but repositions it as one component in a broader, governance-led accountability framework. Governing boards provide the most authentic form of accountability because they combine deep local knowledge with continuous engagement and the ability to drive sustained improvement."