“Confusing” and “cumbersome” – I agree with the response of school leaders to the suggested grading of schools (Schools in England could be judged on scale of colours in Ofsted proposals, 15 November). Ofsted’s mindset is still in crime-and-punishment mode. A hierarchy of coloured judgments is still judgment but spread around a bit. Just “good enough” or “not good enough” would stop the creation of an elite group of state schools that are well provided for and found in the most prosperous places to live.
Schools serving disadvantaged communities are desperate for the recognition of the challenges they face, challenges excluded from Ofsted reports. Inspections for state schools ought to be about improvement and professional learning, not something done to the school but with the school.
