{"id":238302,"date":"2025-11-21T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=238302"},"modified":"2025-11-21T06:55:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T06:55:25","slug":"more-collaborative-more-pressure-heads-issue-report-cards-on-new-ofsted-inspections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/more-collaborative-more-pressure-heads-issue-report-cards-on-new-ofsted-inspections\/","title":{"rendered":"More collaborative, more pressure: Heads issue report cards on new Ofsted inspections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

School leaders who volunteered for new Ofsted<\/a> inspections said they were much more collaborative, but warned about the toll on staff of the \u201cfar more rigorous\u201d checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New report card inspections were introduced last week<\/a>, with routine inspections restarting on December 1.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, inspections are only for schools who volunteered and are led by senior inspectors. But here\u2019s what five leaders who were inspected had to say about their experience…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaborative, but rigorous<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Leaders said the inspections are \u201cmore collaborative\u201d, with a \u201cdefinite shift in tone\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One leader said inspectors praised what the school was doing well and added they were \u201ca lot more open\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he warned of heightened pressure on staff, saying the inspection was much more rigorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff described \u201ca level of pressure that is way heavier than anything they have seen beforehand\u201d, he said, adding it was \u201can awful lot of scrutiny, at a granular level, that schools aren\u2019t used to\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Paul
Paul Stone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One newly qualified teacher was observed \u201cfor the best part of two-and-a-half hours during the two days, which is way more than anything you would have ever expected under the old framework\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Stone, CEO at Discovery Trust, took part in an inspection at one of the trust\u2019s primary schools last week. He said the inspection, which involved four HMIs on day one and three on day two, was \u201cincredibly intense\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While inspectors were \u201cvery caring and very clear\u201d, the new framework is \u201cmassively different\u201d and could shock schools, he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about \u2018secure fit\u2019 model<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Headline grades were abolished in September 2024. Under the new framework, schools are instead graded on a colour-coded, five-point scale across a minimum of six judgment areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To achieve a set grade under Ofsted\u2019s new \u201csecure fit\u201d model, every standard must be hit, which is a shift from the previous \u201cbest-fit\u201d model of awarding ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspectors begin by assessing whether a school meets the requirements for the middle \u2018expected standard\u2019 grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone said this approach leaves \u201cno wriggle room\u201d. Meeting every \u2018expected standard\u2019 is \u201cgoing to be hard for schools\u201d, the head of the inspected school added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns also centre on the \u2018achievement\u2019 judgment area. To reach \u2018expected standard\u2019, pupils must \u201cachieve well\u201d and have attainment and progress scores \u201cbroadly in line with national averages\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two leaders pointed out that this use of averages means \u201chalf of schools simply won\u2019t meet it\u201d. One added that terms like \u201ctypically\u201d and \u201cgenerally\u201d in inspection toolkits also leave too much to inspector interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another leader said the sheer number of requirements in the toolkits makes the pre-inspection self-evaluation process and evidence gathering extremely time-consuming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While another said: \u201c[With] everything that’s going on in schools\u2026 I really, worry about staff, recruitment and retention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although he felt the provisional grades his school received were fair, he cautioned: \u201cYou can’t boil a school down to a load of boxes and some colours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tough grade benchmarks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stone said his school received fewer higher grades than he had expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another leader described \u2018expected standard\u2019 as \u201ca very tough benchmark\u201d, and \u2018strong standard\u2019 as \u201ca very high benchmark indeed\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say \u2018exceptional\u2019 is quite a bit beyond \u2018outstanding\u2019 \u2013 quite significantly so,\u201d he said, predicting some \u2018outstanding\u2019 schools would not even achieve one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another said the \u2018exceptional\u2019 grade \u201cis going to truly embrace its name, in that you will need to be the exception to the rule to achieve that\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that many schools will be \u201cfar more likely to get a range of grades\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone said he was concerned that even \u201csavvy parents will not understand\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said \u2018needs attention\u2019 could be interpreted as \u201cterrible\u201d, while moving from \u2018good\u2019 to \u2018expected standard\u2019 could appear \u201clike you have gone backwards\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ofsted has stressed that the new grading system is not comparable to the previous one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one leader said: \u201cRegardless of the narrative, people will be able to draw parallels between the frameworks, the same way that they did with the GCSE grading structures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ofsted\u2019s national director for education, Lee Owston, said this week that the inspectorate is working to produce materials for parents to explain the new grading system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Go anywhere in the building\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One CEO described their inspection as more \u201cfluid\u201d and \u201con-the-hoof\u201d, compared to \u201cstructured\u201d meetings for subject deep dives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was basically very much kind of \u2018go anywhere in the building \u2026  follow children rather than follow subjects\u2019, and \u2018we’re going to see what we find in that way\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another leader said inspectors \u201ctalk[ed] to children a lot more, and not necessarily [only] in the same structured way that they have previously\u201d, testing schools\u2019 claims against pupils\u2019 real experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders remarked on the new framework\u2019s \u201chuge focus on inclusion\u201d \u2013 which includes an \u2018inclusion\u2019 judgment area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They reported inspectors doing detailed case sampling of around six children who face disadvantage or barriers to their learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone said inspectors also looked at how teaching was being adapted to fit disadvantaged children, and welcomed the inclusion focus as \u201clong overdue\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he added that heads not well supported by a trust or local authority could find the new inspections \u201cvery difficult\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary head added: \u201cIf you know the needs of your pupils and you know your school, it would be a fairly positive process. But there is absolutely no hiding away from anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Energised not anxious\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said the new \u201clearning walks\u201d had \u201cfelt much more natural and more representative of the normal school life, and there\u2019s been an emphasis of the approachability of inspectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we inspect, we are asking you to take us on a journey around your school. Tell us your story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInspection is a chance for a dialogue and a genuinely collaborative process in which we are thinking together about what we are seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the Schools and Academies Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday, he said he wanted leaders to \u201cfeel comfortable and motivated by the changes\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot anxious, but energised by a system that accounts for the complexity and richness of what happens in your schools every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd it should feel energising. This is truly a bold, defining change that fundamentally reshapes how we think about schools, and hopefully, how you all think about yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Ofsted had \u201cdone all that we can\u201d to ensure reform is \u201cdone with you and not to you\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He insisted that \u201cteacher and leader wellbeing is built into the very aspect of how I designed this renewed approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour workload matters. Your stress levels, as we\u2019ve seen today, matter. The sustainability of your leadership matters.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s what five leaders inspected under the new regime had to say about their experience…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314902,"featured_media":234564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25],"post-theme":[2378],"class_list":["post-238302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ofsted","post-theme-ofsted"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t