The Guardian View On One-word Ofsted Reports: Good Riddance | Editorial

Reductive inspections symbolised a punitive and morale-sapping approach to schools. Labour is right to ditch them

The end of one-word inspection judgments on English schools was promised in Labour’s manifesto. So the decision announced on Monday by Bridget Phillipson was not a surprise. But it was a relief. Teacher recruitment and retention problems have been made worse by challenging working conditions, in which the stress associated with an Ofsted inspection is a significant factor. Since the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry last year, after her school was downgraded to inadequate, the issue has become totemic. The one-word report came to symbolise everything that is punitive about the current regime.

Schools are having a rocky time of it. The exam system has settled down after the disruption of Covid. But concerns around pupil attendance, mental health, poverty, behaviour, repairs backlogs (particularly in schools with Raac buildings) and the unmet needs of pupils with special educational needs are all raising the pressure on staff who already fulfil demanding roles. Given the difficulties involved in addressing these issues, and following ministers’ acceptance of a recommended 5.5% pay rise for teachers, tackling Ofsted was a prudent next move.

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