Ofsted will “think again” if there is sector-wide opposition to its report card plans – including another consultation if necessary, the watchdog’s national director has said.
Lee Owston repeated Sir Martyn Oliver’s commitment that “nothing is set in stone” for reforms to its inspection framework – which are currently being consulted on and are due to be rolled out this autumn.
The inspectorate intends to replace inspection reports with a new report card system to provide a more “nuanced view” of an education provider’s strengths and weaknesses through a five-point grading system across up to 20 areas.
But concerns have been raised that the doubling of graded areas will likely lead to more pressure on providers and create a “greater risk of error”.
Speaking at the Apprenticeship and Training Conference 2025 on Monday, Owston said: “Nothing is set in stone yet – so tell us what you think, what you like, what could be better.
“This a real chance to help us shape the future of inspection and as a consequence, the education and life chances of millions of children and learners.
“It needs to work for them, but it also needs to work for you.”
Responding to concerns that there is a short window to make further changes between the consultation end in April and the planned roll out November, the national director said he believes Ofsted has “enough time”.
He added: “Obviously, I can’t answer that 100 per cent until I know what the complete outcome of the consultation looks like.
“I’m not going to do anything reckless or knee-jerk.
“I’ll be listening to what the sentiment is across the full scale of responses and if we need to think again, and that’s something that we will do.
“If we need to go back to another consultation that is something that we’ll do.
“We’ll see where we get to by the by the end of April, and then our plans are that if things can be tweaked and adjusted without going back to consultation, then we’ll launch this in in November.”
However, on Thursday, Ofsted’s director of strategy Rory Gribbell seemed to all but rule out another consultation – contradicting Owston’s comments.
He tweeted: “We’ve consistently said nothing is set in stone, but we have clear plans to introduce changes in November and we don’t expect there to be a further round of consultation.”
He added this was because the inspectorate was “hearing a lot of positive feedback, as well as some challenges. We’ll reflect and come back in the summer, as planned”.
Ofsted’s new report cards will continue to grade schools and colleges on areas such as leadership and safeguarding, but will introduce new grades for areas such as inclusion.
Owston said that the inspectorate will recognise that training providers cannot always improve achievement rates “single handedly” and will try to praise providers who “exceed expectations in spite of any prevailing headwinds”.
The Department for Education and Ofsted are also working together to maintain the “continuity” in its rules over what level of grade providers need to retain their funding contracts.
Owston also pushed back on suggestions that the new report cards had been “cobbled together” amid concerns from Ofsted insiders that were leaked to Schools Week in January.
He said: “No, we’re not throwing baby out with the bath water.
“We did a lot of research right at the back beginning of the [education inspection framework] in 2018 and 2019, we’re not we’re not removing all of that great research.
“What we’re doing is building on the best of what we do, but more importantly, listening to you through the Big Listen and events like this to change the bits that need to be even better.
“So it’s building on it, rather than completely replacing it.”
Ofsted’s consultation closes on April 28.
So an admission of failure already from Ofsted.