{"id":238734,"date":"2025-12-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=238734"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:34:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:34:04","slug":"urgent-clarity-sought-on-flagship-dfe-schemes-after-ofsted-grade-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/urgent-clarity-sought-on-flagship-dfe-schemes-after-ofsted-grade-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Urgent clarity\u2019 sought on flagship DfE schemes after Ofsted grade reform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Union leaders are demanding \u201curgent clarity\u201d on how schools will qualify for exemplar schemes, such as teaching school hubs, that previously required a \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018outstanding\u2019 Ofsted rating as an eligibility benchmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headline grades were abolished in September 2024, and are being replaced with a new \u201creport card\u201d system following a major overhaul of inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, schemes such as subject hubs, teaching school hubs, and the Teacher Reference Group required schools taking part to have \u2018good\u2019 or better ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders\u2019 union ASCL says it has \u201crepeatedly\u201d asked the Department for Education<\/a> \u201cwhat the changes to Ofsted\u2019s grading system mean\u201d for such programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Imperative that schools have clarity\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ASCL general secretary Pepe Di\u2019Iasio added: \u201cIt is imperative that schools have clarity on this as a matter of urgency, and that there is a transparent and fair process for schools wanting to apply in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pepe Di’Iasio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He warned that as Ofsted has been clear its new five-point grading scale is not comparable to the previous four-point one, \u201cit would be a contradiction to simply change a requirement of \u2018good or better\u2019 to one of \u2018meeting the expected standard or better\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, we still don\u2019t know what is planned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department for Education did not provide an on-record comment, despite being approached last week. It would only say the eligibility criteria will remain under review, with schools issued report card grades being considered on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Ofsted\u2019s new inspection framework, schools now receive one of five grades across at least six judgement areas. The framework launched at volunteer schools a fortnight ago <\/a>and routine inspections are due to resume on December 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eligibility updated for some<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DfE has updated official guidance for the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) to reflect its new \u201ccase-by-case\u201d approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school repair funding supports a small number of expansions where Ofsted has rated the school \u2018good\u2019 or better in quality of education and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026\u201327 guidance<\/a> for the fund now states applications from schools inspected under Ofsted\u2019s new framework will be reviewed \u201con a case-by-case basis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, there is no mention of Ofsted in the 2025 guidelines <\/a>for teachers hoping to join the Teacher Reference Group, which advises government on the potential impact of policies. An earlier document said teachers must be in a school \u201crated good or outstanding\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, the 2025 information pack<\/a> for Headteacher Reference Groups (HRGs) does not mention Ofsted, despite the 2019 pack saying it \u201cwould particularly encourage\u201d applicants from schools recently judged \u2018outstanding\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dame
Dame Alison Peacock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, said while \u201cthere are many initiatives where school quality is important\u201d, schemes where the DfE seeks views from leaders or teachers \u201cseem to require a different approach in order to gain a wider perspective\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called for the DfE \u201cto think carefully about what it needs for each of these schemes and set its quality criteria accordingly\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Quality bar is important\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2020 guidance, only schools rated \u2018good or outstanding\u2019 were eligible to become teaching school hubs \u2013 described as \u201ccentres of excellence for teacher training and development\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providers reapplied in 2023 for approval to run hubs until 2028. It is not clear how new Ofsted ratings will affect any future rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another scheme with no update is the DfE\u2019s subject hubs, which previously had to be \u2018good\u2019 or better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
David Hatchett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DfE has also come under recent criticism<\/a> for not updating its guidance on how local authorities should place children in care, under the new Ofsted framework. Current guidelines still refer to headline grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Hatchett, chief executive of multi-academy trust Anthem Schools Trust, whose schools are involved in several initiatives including English and maths hubs, said a lack of eligibility criteria creates \u201can element of uncertainty\u201d for schools and trusts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a clear quality bar for flagship schemes is clearly very important for maintaining standards within the sector and improving outcomes for children and young people,\u201d he added. But \u201cthat doesn\u2019t mean excellence should be pinned to any one Ofsted inspection evaluation category. Particularly as inspections typically happen some years apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

‘Move away from simplistic Ofsted gradings\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of teachers\u2019 union the NEU, called for the DfE to \u201cresist\u201d using Ofsted gradings as a way of judging eligibility for its schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel
Daniel Kebede<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were good reasons for stopping the use of single-word judgements, and so we hope the DfE will discontinue the link between having a certain inspection category and accessing or contributing to certain schemes, programmes or boards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders\u2019 union NAHT, echoed this, saying: \u201cThe time is right for the DfE to move away from using simplistic Ofsted gradings as a way to determine eligibility for various programmes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hatchett added \u201cexcellent work\u201d is done across his trust\u2019s schools, \u201cnot only in schools previously judged as \u2018Good\u2019 or \u2018Outstanding\u2019\u201d, and called for an approach that \u201crecognises strong, quality-assured practice, wherever it exists\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do the guidelines say?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Headteacher Reference Groups<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: The July 2019 information pack for applicants (the most recent that could be found online) said DfE would \u201cparticularly encourage\u201d applications from candidates in schools \u201cjudged Outstanding by Ofsted in the 2018\u201319 academic year\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: There is no mention of Ofsted grade requirements in the 2025 information pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teacher Reference Groups<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: In 2023, to be eligible teachers had to teach at schools \u201crated good or outstanding by Ofsted\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: This has been dropped from the 2025 guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching school hubs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: 2020 guidelines stated eligible schools must be \u201crated Good or Outstanding at latest Ofsted inspection\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: Not clear what will happen to this requirement in future rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subject hubs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: As of 2023, schools had to be rated \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018outstanding\u2019 to be a maths or English hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: No update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Condition Improvement Fund<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: Guidance for 2026-27 published last month says a small number of expansion projects will be considered for schools with \u2018good\u2019 or better in quality of education and leadership<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: However, schools with a report card grade will be reviewed on a \u201ccase-by-case basis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looked-after children placed in schools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

THEN: DfE guidance from 2018 states \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018outstanding\u2019 schools \u201cshould be prioritised\u201d when a council is placing a looked-after child in a new setting. They \u201cshould never be placed\u201d in an \u2018inadequate\u2019 setting unless in \u201cexceptional\u201d situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW: Government plans to publish new statutory guidance. In the meantime, virtual heads should use \u201cfull Ofsted inspection reports\u201d to make \u201cinformed decisions\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Union leaders demand clarity on how schools will qualify for exemplar schemes that previously required ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grades<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314902,"featured_media":219413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[28,25,890],"post-theme":[2378],"class_list":["post-238734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dfe","tag-ofsted","tag-schools","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