NEU in Lincolnshire says it has concerns over Ofsted's proposed new grading system
Schools in England could be graded using a colour-coded five-point scale
The National Education Union in Lincolnshire says it has concerns over Ofsted's proposed new grading system.
Schools in England could be graded using a colour-coded five-point scale after the Government announced last year that headline Ofsted grades for overall effectiveness would be scrapped.
Ken Rustidge, the branch secretary for the NEU in Lincolnshire says he wants to see real change:
"It really should be reformed, and it's time for radical reform.
"It's been around for a few years and it just seems similar schools seem to be clobbered all the time, and pressure put on members.
"This talk of colour coding and various other things doesn't seem very fair.
"What we really want is a new system that is supportive, effective and fair. I really feel it' time for radical reform".
Schools would receive ratings - from the red coloured "causing concern" to orange coloured "attention needed", through the green shades of "secure", "strong" and "exemplary" - for each area of practice under proposals for Ofsted's new report card system.
Previously, Ofsted awarded one of four single-phrase inspection judgments: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.
The reforms follow criticism of the inspection system following the death of headteacher Mrs Perry who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from the highest to the lowest overall effectiveness rating over safeguarding concerns.
Under the proposals from the inspectorate, at least eight areas of a school's provision could be evaluated and graded - accompanied by short summaries of inspectors' findings - in a report card for parents.
The proposed evaluation areas would be leadership and governance, curriculum, developing teaching, achievement, behaviour and attitudes, attendance, personal development and wellbeing, and inclusion.
Schools which have early years provision or a sixth form would also be graded separately on these areas.
Safeguarding would not be graded with the five-point scale and instead it would be assessed as either met or not met under the plans.
The proposals have been criticised by Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, who said they "suggest an inspectorate determined to hold on to a model of inspection that is long past its sell-by date".
Inspectors will look at how well schools support vulnerable and disadvantaged children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as part of a new focus on inclusion.
Previously, schools were judged on quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
In the consultation document, Ofsted said: "We will continue to call out unacceptable practice, as we have always done. That is our duty, and it's a moral duty as much as a professional one.
"But these proposals allow us to highlight poor practice with more precision - pointing laser-like to specific issues, not shining a floodlight on the whole provider."
Sir Martyn, chief inspector of Ofsted, said the death of Mrs Perry has been on his mind "ever since it happened".
He said the "beauty" of a report card - which he said is "a bit like a child's school report card" - is that it is different from the previous system in that it is "fairer" and "more proportionate".
"It highlights all the things that schools excel at as well as those where they could improve.
"And our report card will give a far better balanced, more realistic and a fairer picture of all of a school's strengths and areas for improvement," he said.
Ofsted is also proposing that all schools with an identified need for improvement will receive monitoring calls and visits to check that timely action is being taken to raise standards.
This includes schools with any evaluation area graded "attention needed".
From November, it is proposed that Ofsted will no longer carry out ungraded inspections of state schools which means every school will know that its next routine Ofsted inspection will be a full, graded one.
Under the proposals, the watchdog will also include more contextual data in inspections and reports - such as learner characteristics, absence and attendance figures, and local area demographics.
Inspectors will use this information to help understand the circumstances in which leaders are operating.
Sir Martyn said: "Our mission is to raise standards and improve the lives of children, particularly the most disadvantaged. Today's proposals for a new Ofsted report card and a new way of inspecting are designed to do just that.
"The report card will replace the simplistic overall judgment with a suite of grades, giving parents much more detail and better identifying the strengths and areas for improvement for a school, early years or further education provider.
"Our new top 'exemplary' grade will help raise standards, identifying world-class practice that should be shared with the rest of the country."
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