Ofsted's one word ratings system is not fit for purpose - The Yorkshire Post says

The idea that ‘one-word assessments’ provide a clear picture is absurd. A school being labelled inadequate or as requiring improvement without any context does little to help parents of prospective pupils in making their choice and certainly does not help the school or the pupils currently enrolled there.

The current system lacks nuance and makes it more difficult for struggling schools to turn things around.

It undermines the hard work and toil of teachers. That is the last thing this country’s education system needs, especially as there is a shortage of teaching staff.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan says single-word ratings are “clear” and “easy for parents to navigate”.

But parents want what’s best for their children and that is why they deserve more than just one word ratings.

Reform of Ofsted needs to go beyond the rating system. Even figures from business don’t believe its approach is fit for purpose.

The adversarial approach leaves schools treading on eggshells ahead of inspections. And there have been far too many stories of schools being treated punitively for the most minor of infractions.

This adversarial approach has seen many leave the teaching profession and in some cases led to severe mental anguish. Ruth Perry, headteacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading, Berkshire, killed herself in January while awaiting an Ofsted report which downgraded her school from the highest rating to the lowest. No teacher should find themselves in that sort of a position.