A former Ofsted chief inspector has slammed the department’s rating system and claimed it gives parents “false comfort”.
Sir Michael Wilshaw, who was chief inspector of schools until 2016, told MPs on the House of Commons education select committee that the claim by Ofsted that nearly 90 percent of English schools were “good” is “nonsense.”
He said that Ofsted’s one-word rating system gives parents “false comfort” about what is happening in their children’s schools.
He said: “Ofsted says that nearly 90 per cent of schools are good – that’s nonsense, that’s complete nonsense.
“Having seen some of the schools judged ‘good’ over the last few years, I would not say they were good.”
He added: “When I’ve been into some of these schools and then looked at the report I’ve felt like going to Specsavers and getting another pair of glasses because they were not good.”
Schools can currently receive one of four single-word ratings under the current guidelines.
These are, in descending order of quality: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate.
These will be accompanied by a full report from the inspecting body.
Inspectors will attend lessons, survey governors and staff and ask for pupils and parents’ views using tools such as Parent View before making a judgment.
Ofsted’s latest inspection findings report that 88 per cent of all state schools are “good” or “outstanding”.
But Sir Michael claimed the system had moved too far away from data-based analysis.
He said it was “ridiculous” that schools with low Progress 8 scores and “terrible outcomes” had received “good” inspection ratings.
Progress 8 scores measure how much a secondary school has helped children improve on their primary school performances.
Sir Michael also claimed the “good” ratings were allowing school headteachers to “relax and not address the weaknesses that there are in that school”.
While the former inspector previously supported one-word ratings, he said he changed his mind after the death of Ruth Perry, the former headmistress of Caversham Primary in Reading who took her own life after finding out that her school would be downgraded from “outstanding” to “inadequate”.
He said to the select committee: “”I think that one-word judgments need to go,” adding: “It doesn’t reflect what is happening nationally.”
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “One-word inspection grades succinctly summarise independent evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding, and leadership which helps to give parents confidence in choosing the right school for their child.”
Ofsted declined to comment after being contacted by Express.co.uk.
