New Ofsted report cards met by fierce backlash as it scraps single-word judgments

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Bridget Phillipson’s new proposals for Ofsted are facing backlash for being “worse than the system currently in place”, as Labour replaces single-word judgements for schools with detailed report cards. But, in a blow to the plans, the sister of Ms Perry has said she is worried the new Ofsted proposals are a “rehash” of the “dangerous” system they are supposed to replace. “Astonishingly, Ofsted’s proposed school report cards appear to be even worse than the single-word judgments they replace.” Ofsted’s new report cards will see schools graded across nine different areas - including attendance and inclusion – using a colour-coded five-point scale for each. “I am worried that this proposal is a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace.” open image in gallery Sister of Ms Perry, Julia Waters, said the new system “retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system” Under the proposals from the inspectorate, at least eight areas of a school’s provision could be evaluated and graded – accompanied by short summaries of inspectors’ findings – in a report card for parents.