Teachers and leaders have roundly criticised new Ofsted report cards – but parents are much more supportive of the proposed changes.
A poll of more than 800 parents by non-profit More in Common, commissioned by Schools Week, found 65 per cent preferred the proposed new ‘report card’ system.
Just 16 per cent said they preferred the previous system, while 18 per cent said they didn’t know.
Sam Freedman, a former government adviser, said this week he was concerned the report card model “possibly makes it harder for parents”.
But Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has dismissed such concerns, telling a press briefing: “I think parents are more than able to process more information.
“It’s frankly, deeply insulting to suggest that somehow parents either don’t want or can’t understand a wider range of areas that need further improvement, or where there is real strength within the school system.”
The More in Common poll found 82 per cent of parents said the mock-up image of a report card provided by Ofsted was either “somewhat” (45 per cent) or “very” (37 per cent) easy to understand.
Meanwhile, 71 per cent said they felt the new grading system to be fairer on teachers, while just 17 per cent thought the old system fairer.
Jason Elsom, the chief executive of the national charity Parentkind, broadly welcomed the new framework, which he said “puts considerable weight behind parental engagement”.
“What parents want is an impartial assessment of their child’s school, which provides sufficient information for them to understand if their school is meeting the needs of their child.”
6% of teachers ‘positive’ about plans
Teachers and leaders have responded far more negatively in polls.
Just 6 per cent of more than 11,000 teachers polled by app Teacher Tapp on Wednesday said they felt positive about the reforms.
The survey found 0 per cent of respondents were ‘very positive’ about the plans, with 6 per cent saying they were ‘somewhat positive’.
Meanwhile, more than one-third expressed reservations about the proposals, with 20 per cent saying they felt “somewhat negative” and 16 per cent “very negative”. One-third said they had not seen the plans.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) also carried out a snap poll that suggested school leaders overwhelmingly disagreed with Ofsted’s plans too.
Response to trials ‘very positive’ says Ofsted
Ninety-two per cent of more than 3,000 union members disagreed with the proposal to introduce five-point graded judgments across up to 11 areas.
Meanwhile, 96 per cent said they did not think Ofsted would make meaningful changes in response to concerns shared during the consultation.
Lee Owston, Ofsted’s national director for education, said last Friday that across six trials conducted at schools so far, the “overwhelming” response has been “very, very positive”.
“The purpose of those trials was to get reaction in terms of what it is that we’ve written, what it is that we’re proposing and, of course, we have made adjustments and tweaks,” he said.
Sir Martyn Oliver, the chief inspector, added that following the trials he believed the proposal would be met by parents and providers “with a great deal of interest”.
“And there’ll be some concern, but also a tremendous amount of excitement, especially in the methodology of all of the things we’re going to propose,” he said, urging people to share their views in the consultation.
John Barneby, the chief executive of Oasis Community Learning, told an education committee meeting this week: “The areas of measurement do create a complexity, but I think parents will get their heads around that.”
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “We want our inspections to raise standards for all children and provide better information for parents. And it’s vital they are also useful and workable for education leaders, and inspectors.
“We would encourage everyone to look at our detailed proposals and respond to the consultation.”
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