Ofsted puts teaching standards at the heart of ratings

Sir Michael Wilshaw used his first major speech as chief schools inspector to announce the change today. Currently schools are assessed on a range of factors and given an overall rating. Under the new regime, the standard of teaching will be paramount and ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ ratings will depend on this element.

The move follows last month's announcement that Ofsted was scrapping the ‘satisfactory’ rating. Wilshaw said today that from September, schools currently deemed ‘satisfactory’ and under a notice to improve will be given a single ‘requires improvement’ label.

Wilshaw, who won acclaim for the results he achieved as head of Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, said mediocrity had been tolerated for too long in the education system and radical improvements were needed.

‘We have made progress. But the quality of educational provision isn’t improving fast enough and the gap in outcomes between the richest and the poorest isn’t closing,’ he said.

‘Without a radical change now, we will see more social and economic division in this country.’

Addressing head teachers specifically, Wilshaw urged them to demonstrate passion and commitment for teaching and rigorously monitor and performance-manage the teaching in their schools.

‘Unless we have head teachers who take on the difficult challenges of schools performance and adopt a no-excuses culture, we are never going to make the improvements we need.’

But head teachers’ leaders said Ofsted was making it increasingly difficult for schools in deprived areas to be rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: ‘An inspection system is only fair when a good school in a challenging area has the same chance of a high grade as a good school in a less difficult area. This is not about making excuses, it is acknowledging the challenges that schools in disadvantaged areas are dealing with.’

He warned that Wilshaw’s comments could have ‘damaging and demoralising’ effects on the profession.

The National Union of Teachers attacked what it called Wilshaw’s ‘aggressive rhetoric’.

General secretary Christine Blower said: ‘The latest proposals about unpicking an “outstanding” result for a school from the standard of teaching leaves Sir Michael Wilshaw’s proposals appearing to be more concerned with facilitating the government’s policy of converting as many schools as possible to academy status than genuinely aiding school improvement.’

Wilshaw’s stance chimes with that of Prime Minister David Cameron, who last year warned of the ‘shocking gap’ between the best and worst schools and called for action on those that were ‘coasting’.