Inquiry into Ofsted must look at one-word judgements, says union

MPs carrying out an inquiry into Ofsted inspections must look into the impact of one-word judgements, the union has said.

The inquiry by the Education Select Committee was announced last month. It follows the suicide of primary head teacher and NEU Leadership member Ruth Perry.

Committee chair Robin Walker said there had been a “notable groundswell of criticism” of Ofsted.

MPs will consider how inspections impact workload and the wellbeing of staff and pupils, and whether Ofsted’s reports help schools to improve.

NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted said it was “paramount” gradings were investigated by the committee.

“The NEU welcomes this inquiry into Ofsted,” she added. “There is overwhelming consensus in the education profession that inspections need to change.”

Just days before the inquiry was announced, Ofsted said it planned to reform some of its processes – including the complaints procedure – but insisted one-word judgements would stay.

But Mary said Ofsted had not comprehended the scale of change needed to address the “deep concerns” of leaders and teachers, adding: “More extensive and fundamental changes are needed to limit the damage done by Ofsted to leader and teacher wellbeing.”

She went on to say that she hoped the inquiry would hear from a wide range of education professionals to build the case for a different approach.

“Looking at the impact of the regime on school leaders, teachers and pupils, including the impact of single-

SATs results not a good indicator of ‘high standards’ in primary education

WHAT do we mean by ‘high standards’ in primary school? The union asked teachers for their thoughts, and they told us it’s time to redefine standards and their relationship with primary tests.

In our survey, 92.4 per cent of teachers disagreed that year 6 SATs were the most accurate indicator of whether pupils have received a high standard of primary education, while 90.1 per cent agreed a child may still have the standard of literacy and numeracy needed for secondary school, even if they did not meet the ‘expected standard’ in year 6 SATs.

And 94.68 per cent of teachers agreed it is unfair that Government uses year 6 SATs results as shorthand for primary school standards.

When asked what shows a good standard of primary education, teachers selected:

• pupils developing skills for life, such word judgements, is paramount, as is a full assessment of whether or not Ofsted is having any meaningful impact on supporting improvement. We look forward to engaging with the inquiry and sharing the views and experiences of our members.” as communication, leadership and resilience

The NEU is campaigning for Ofsted to be replaced by a system which is effective, fair and supportive. In April, NEU deputy general secretary Niamh Sweeney and a group of members handed a petition to the Department for Education calling for Ofsted to be replaced.

It had more than 50,000 signatures. The NEU-sponsored Beyond Ofsted commission, launched earlier this year, is investigating alternatives to the current system. It is gathering evidence, including from educators on their experiences, and it will publish a report later this year.

• a broad, rich curriculum

• children engaged with learning.

Primary teachers told us about the problems with formal assessment in primary schools. Here’s what they said:

“You get the sense that children dread getting to year 6. There is an incredible amount of pressure put on them.”

“It’s not just the tests, it’s the highstakes culture we have in schools. It’s league tables and the fact that schools are judged on these tests.”

“I’ve been teaching a multilingual group of children phonics. I have to explain to them that for the test you have to read a word that isn’t a word!”

“Every time we take a child out of an art lesson for a SATs intervention, or staff a booster session during the holidays, we legitimise this system.”

“If the children seem happy, contented, confident, build good friendships… that is the measure for me.”

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NEU tribunal win for senior examiners

THE union has won an employment tribunal brought against Pearson Education Limited that means its senior examiners must now be treated as ‘workers’ rather than as self-employed.