Labour pledges overhaul of school standards reporting system
If Labour wins power in the next General Election, the party has pledged a major shake-up of school reporting standards.
According to Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, a Labour Government would consider replacing Ofsted inspection grades with a school scorecard.
During a keynote speech at the recent Association of School and College Leaders’ (ASCL) conference, Ms. Phillipson claimed that both families and schools would benefit from ‘a more effective system’, that offers valuable information for parents whilst reducing pressure on staff.
Her comments come in the wake of recent demands by ASCL and the Confederation of School Trusts to either eliminate or re-evaluate Ofsted’s overall inspection grades, following the tragic death of a School Head Teacher who, it is believed, took her own life after her school was downgraded by Ofsted.
The Shadow Education Secretary believes that providing parents with straightforward data through a report card will empower them to better understand a school’s strengths and areas for improvement.
She said: “Information in the form of a report card will better enable them to get an understanding of where a school is performing well and where they can do better.
“I do not believe it is right that we give children, parents and staff a one or two word judgement on their school. It is simplistic, it hides the variation in the quality of our schools, and the pace of their improvement.
“Parents and schools deserve better than a system that is high stakes for staff, but low information for parents.” Contact us for assistance.
