Ofsted should inspect pupil wellbeing, says EPI

Pupil wellbeing should be inspected as a category in Ofsted’s new report cards to provide parents with more nuanced information, a think tank has said. 

The Education Policy Institute is calling for a ‘fairer and more holistic approach’ to measuring school effectiveness. 

In a report, published today, the thinktank said government should consider wellbeing as a data point for school performance and monitoring children’s mental health.

It comes as the government plans to replace single-phrase Ofsted judgments with a new report card system and framework telling parents how well schools are performing.

However the report states: “If school support for pupil wellbeing were to be part of the accountability system, we would need to consider whether the burden it places on schools is reasonable and whether the information it generates should be publicly available or should remain private to the school.”

There are no current measures of pupil wellbeing available in government data. The EPI is calling for the government to model data similar to the #BeeWell survey, an annual wellbeing survey of secondary school.

The survey, which has run since 2021, has been completed by more than 85,000 young people in nearly 300 schools across two regions of England: Greater Manchester and the South East.

EPI has also updated its online tool allowing councils and academy trusts to be compared on measures such as inclusion, admissions, exclusions and attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

The thinktank argues current performance measures by Ofsted provide a ‘disincentive’ to schools being inclusive for all pupils. It suggests its ‘benchmarking tool’ is key for reevaluating school performance.

Jon Andrews, EPI’s director for school system and performance, said: “The accountability system does not paint a fair picture of school effectiveness.

“Schools serving disadvantaged communities are far more likely to be labelled as underperforming, and performance measures can act as a disincentive to be inclusive for all pupils. 

“The system is in need of urgent reform.“

He said their benchmarking tool “that capture pupil outcomes and progress, pupil inclusion and workforce and financial management, provide a blueprint for the development of the new school report card.”

However, unions say there are too many influences beyond a school’s control for measuring wellbeing which, while well intended, are “fraught with dangers”.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, added “we should be careful not to assume that there is some form of data ‘holy grail’ out there. 

“Data is only ever one part of the picture and should never be looked at in isolation.

“The government’s decision to move away from crude single-word Ofsted judgements has laid the foundations for a move to a more reliable, nuanced inspection system.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The need for Ofsted reform to drive high and rising standards for all our children in every school is overwhelmingly clear. 

“The introduction of report cards will provide parents with a much clearer and broader picture of how schools are performing.

“We will continue to work with Ofsted to ensure these reforms support our mission to give pupils the best start in life.”

Ofsted declined to comment.