Ofsted is pushing forward with plans to replace its one-word school scoring system with colour-coded cards that critics have compared to a Nando’s spice chart.
The education regulator’s chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver is launching a consultation on the new system, which will see schools in England assessed with one or two-word judgments across eight main areas.
Ofsted’s colour-coded scorecard will range from ‘causing concern’ in red to ‘exemplary’ in dark green, according to the Financial Times.
It will replace the old set-up in which schools were given one-word overall judgments – ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.
Some have criticised this system for being too harsh and severely damaging to a school’s reputation. An inquest in 2023 into the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry found that an Ofsted inspection on her primary school had ‘contributed’ to her death.
Ms Perry, 53, took her own life after Ofsted downgraded Caversham Primary School in Reading from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’. The review said the regulator’s reaction to Ms Perry’s suicide was ‘defensive and complacent’.
Her sister Julia Waters said ‘urgent lessons must be learned’ from her death, a message which was echoed by the then education secretary Gillian Keegan.
At the time, Ofsted made some minor changes to reduce the pressure on school heads, such as delaying inspections by a day and developing training for all inspectors on recognising and responding to visible signs of anxiety.
Ofsted’s colour-coded scorecard will range from ‘causing concern’ in red to ‘exemplary’ in dark green (stock image)
In November, senior figures compared an early version of the proposal to the spice ranking system used by food chain Nando’s (stock image)
Ofsted will replace the old set-up in which schools were given one-word overall judgments – ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ (stock image)
The Labour Government scrapped single-word grading last year following lobbying from teaching unions, which said the system put intense pressure on school staff.
The new scoring system will be the biggest change since Ms Perry’s death, but some are still not happy with the proposed colour-coded overhaul.
In November, senior figures compared an early version of the proposal to the spice ranking system used by food chain Nando’s.
And now a source said of the updated plan: ‘It’s still Nando’s. It’s still lemon and herb, extra hot.’ They then predicted that the ‘profession’s going to go wild when they see these plans’.
They believe the new system will simply add more areas for schools and teachers to receive ‘harsh’ judgments and that it will be hard for inspectors to make evaluations across all eight areas in one 48-hour visit.
The eight areas are achievement, leadership and governance, curriculum, developing teaching, personal development and wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and attitudes, and inclusion.
The consultation for the plan is expected to begin next week.
