Education Secretary will ‘take action’ if Ofsted inspection of a school is poor

Ms Phillipson said that monosyllabic overall inspection grades in English schools would be abolished with immediate effect because they could not capture “the whole essence of a school”.

She said the death of headteacher Ruth Perry had made the need for school oversight reform “absolutely clear”.

Mrs Perry took her own life after her Caversham Primary School in Reading was downgraded from the highest rating of “outstanding” to the lowest rating of “inadequate” in an Ofsted report due to safety concerns.

During inspections, schools will no longer be rated for their general performance with one of four overall grades – outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

This school year, parents will also be able to view the four grades in the existing subcategories of educational quality, behaviour and attitude, personal development and leadership and management.

The Education Secretary said the Government could intervene later this year if a school is rated “inadequate” in one of the four subcategories – and it could be forced to convert to an academy.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Phillipson said: “As Secretary of State, I will not hesitate to take action where schools are failing.

“I want to make sure we raise standards and that schools get the support they need to make improvements.

“I will not hesitate to take action if schools do not make these improvements because our children only have one chance at school, one single chance, and we have to get it right.”

From September next year, parents will be able to view a new report card detailing the examiners' findings at a school.

Ms Phillipson told the Today show: “I think parents are capable of understanding a wide range of information and not reducing everything to one word.”

“The report card system we are introducing with Ofsted will capture a wider range of data and information which I believe will be of great interest to parents.”

Ofsted, England's education regulator, has come under scrutiny following Mrs Perry's death.

In December, a coroner concluded that Ofsted's inspection on 15 and 16 November 2022 “contributed to Ms Perry's death”.

Ms Perry's sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: “We are delighted and relieved that the Government has decided to take this important and long overdue step.

“Monosyllabic headline judgements are dangerous and reductionist. They are unpopular with parents and teachers, and their simplistic effect has made the day-to-day work of improving school standards more difficult for everyone except the bureaucrats.

“The shame, injustice and serious consequences of an 'inadequate' verdict, as well as the rude and intimidating conduct of the inspection itself, were the cause of my sister's mental deterioration and suicide.”

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, the Education Secretary said: “I think Ruth's death – and the campaigning work of Julia and the family – has put the need for reform in the spotlight and made it absolutely clear that we need a better system for families, parents and children, but also for the staff in our schools.”

From the beginning of 2025, the government will also set up regional improvement teams to work with struggling schools and address their weaknesses.

In cases of particularly serious concerns, the Government will continue to intervene, including by issuing an order to the Academy, which in some cases may involve a transfer to new management.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of headteachers' union NAHT, said: “We have made it clear that simplistic one-word rulings are damaging and we are pleased that the Government has taken swift action to eliminate them.”

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Abolishing the core grade is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, the NEU still believes Ofsted needs to be abolished and replaced.

“Ofsted is poison for teachers and school leaders, and no amount of reorientation or reform will help Ofsted regain the trust of the profession.

“We need to replace Ofsted with an accountability system that promotes a culture of collaboration between all stakeholders. A system that creates a culture of trust, transparency and shared responsibility for the quality of education.”