The sub-judgements Ofsted makes about schools will sit alongside overall effectiveness grades at the top of online inspection pages from today, the watchdog has said.
The inspectorate said the move will mean parents will be able to see a “more rounded picture of a school” at a glance.
In graded inspections, Ofsted gives a school an overall effectiveness grade and makes judgements on the school’s quality of education, leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development of pupils.
Depending on the phase of school, there are also sub-judgements - on Early Years and sixth-form provision.
Each judgement is given one of four grades: outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
Ofsted will now publish sub-judgements for all past and future graded school inspections carried out under the education inspection framework (EIF), which launched in September 2019.
‘More rounded picture of how well a school is doing’
The current set of sub-judgements was established under the previous chief inspector Amanda Spielman, and includes the quality of education sub-judgement, which the inspectorate assesses, in part, through inspecting the school curriculum.
The EIF also split behaviour and personal development into separate sub-judgements. Before this they had been part of the same category.
The change comes as the inspectorate continues with its Big Listen consultation exercise on the future of inspection, which runs until the end of this month.
The Ofsted chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said the move will allow parents “to see a more rounded, contextual picture of how well a school is doing” as they will be able to see all of a school’s sub-judgements without having to open a full report.
Sir Martyn said he hopes the move shows that “we have listened to parents and teachers, and that, while our Big Listen continues until the end of the month, we are acting where we can now”.
However, although the “intention” was welcomed by headteachers’ leaders, they dismissed it as “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,” said Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
Sir Martyn had announced the change would be happening at the ASCL conference earlier this year.
It comes amid a debate about whether the overall single-word effectiveness grade for schools should be scrapped - something Labour has pledged to consult on if elected.
An Alternative Big Listen has also been launched by former senior inspectors who are concerned that Ofsted’s consultation has not asked for people’s views on single-word inspection grades or whether the inspectorate is fit for purpose.
Single-word judgements are ‘most pressing issue’
Ofsted’s national director of education Lee Owston told Tes that schools could expect Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation to address single-word inspection judgements.
However, Mr Di’lasio said 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.
“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,” he added.
Commenting on social media about the move, Steve Rollett, deputy chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, described it as a ”modest but welcome change in relation to the reporting of Ofsted grades, and one that is under Ofsted’s control”.
He added: “Perhaps this small step implies a recognition of the current problem with the domination of a single-phrase judgement? A staging post for more change maybe?”
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