Ofsted changes: Newbury headteacher – who refused to initially let Ofsted into her school after the death of Ruth Perry last year – has given her reaction to the Government’s planned school ratings changes

A Newbury headteacher – who refused to initially let Ofsted into her school after the death of fellow primary head Ruth Perry last year – has given her reaction to the Government’s planned school ratings changes, writes Dan Colquhoun.

In March 2023 Flora Cooper said that she would not allow inspectors into the John Rankin Schools, following the death of the Caversham headteacher.

Ms Perry’s family said that the mother-of-two took her own life in January 2023 after being told that her school – Caversham Primary, in Reading – would be downgraded from outstanding to inadequate by Ofsted. An inquest found that the inspection “contributed” to her death.

Following the General Election results earlier this summer, the Labour Government has stuck to its promise that it would scrap the previous Ofsted single-word grading system for schools.

The practice of issuing an overall one or two-word grade – Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate – has been scrapped with immediate effect.

It is believed that the new system will see a score-card approach, with each aspect of a school being inspected and given a rating rather than one overall assessment grade.

“I think it is a fantastic step in the right direction,” said Ms Cooper. “It shows Ofsted is listening to the teaching profession and the biggest thing, following Ruth’s death, is that change needed to happen.”

When asked what she would like to see from the new system, she added: “A robust system that will help us work with Ofsted to create a system that works for everybody. At the moment, that isn’t the case.

“It may carry on with the new system but one big problem [with the old system] was the schools would go about their business just to lean in the direction of what Ofsted wants.

“It sometimes meant curriculums would be narrowed and the range of opportunities schools could offer would be reduced.”

She said it was currently unclear what the new ‘report card system’ will look like, but said “conversations between all parties must remain open to ensure the best system is put in place”.

“The increased support [for schools] sounds fantastic that the Government is suggesting will happen,” she added. “Schools need to be allowed to work together in partnership to help each other improve rather than compete against one another which is what Ofsted has created in the past.

“There needs to be a system that allows schools to share their best practices to create the best education possible for our children.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that the new ‘report card’ system is designed to give schools and parents greater clarity about which aspects of the school are exceeding expectations and which are not and will provide a much better overall picture for schools.

Despite the immediate scrapping of the old system, the new report card system is not expected to be rolled out until September 2025, following a consultation.

The Ofsted inspection of John Rankin did eventually go ahead – with teachers lining up outside in solidarity with Ms Cooper ahead of the inspectors’ arrival at the Garford Crescent school.