Previously, schools inspected by the education watchdog were given one of four marks: exceptional, good, requires improvement, or insufficient.
The Department for Education (DfE) has declared that starting with this academic year, four grades will be given in each of the current subcategories: leadership and management, behavior and attitudes, personal development, and quality of education.
Parents will receive a “comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement” with the introduction of school report cards starting in September 2025, according to the announcement.
The modification comes after discussions with the education community and the family of Ruth Perry, the headteacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, who committed suicide after her school’s rating was lowered from “outstanding” to “inadequate” due to concerns about safeguarding.
A coroner’s inquest concluded that part of the reason for her death was the inspection procedure last year.
The reform will assist in “breaking down barriers to opportunity,” according to the Department for Education, as “reductive” single-phrase grades “fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance.”
