Ofsted reforms inadequate, says sister of teacher who died post-downgrade

Off the record of a headteacher who took her own life after her school received a downgrade from Ofsted has stated that the just lately introduced inspection system reforms are inadequate. Ruth Perry, former headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, passed away in January. The school was rated “good” in every category except leadership and administration, the place it was deemed “inadequate.” Since Perry’s demise, there have been rising requires Ofsted to implement reforms, including the abolition of one-word assessments.
Despite the strain, Ofsted’s adjustments don’t embrace the removing of single-word scores. Chief inspector Amanda Spielman emphasized that Ofsted is paying consideration to concerns raised following Perry’s death and is considering revisions to its work while maintaining a focus on youngsters and parents’ needs. However, Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, believes that the adjustments are only “a start” and don’t absolutely handle the issues caused by the current system.
Waters expressed disappointment on the retention of “harmful and deceptive single-word judgements,” arguing that they oversimplify inspection results and obscure necessary particulars. She did, however, welcome the elimination of confidentiality necessities for inspectorates’ findings earlier than outcomes publication, as well as the additional funding for psychological well being support.
Unions and the Labour celebration have also criticized the changes, asserting that Ofsted should go further. The reforms involve launching a formal session on changes to the complaints system, aimed at resolving complaints extra quickly, and providing colleges with more details about the timing of inspections. Additionally, inspection reports will check with the college rather than individuals when discussing weaknesses, starting in September.
For schools graded “inadequate” overall solely as a result of ineffective safeguarding, inspectors will return inside three months of the inspection report’s publication—faster than prior to now. If the college has resolved the safeguarding concerns, its overall grade is probably going to enhance, based on Ofsted. Schools will also receive extra readability about the threshold for efficient versus ineffective safeguarding from September onwards.
A programme offering well-being support for teachers will be expanded by March 2024. However, Paul Whiteman, common secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), argued that the federal government and Ofsted have taken too long to announce these “relatively modest” measures. The NAHT continues to call for more fundamental reform of the inspection course of, stating that the system will remain flawed and place pointless pressure on school leaders so lengthy as single-word judgements persist..