The Labour government has pushed ahead with its reform agenda by scrapping single headline Ofsted judgements for Portsmouth schools with immediate effect.
The change delivers on Labour’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and demonstrates Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s commitment to improve the life chances of young people across the country.
For inspections this academic year, parents will see four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.
This reform paves the way for the introduction of School Report Cards from September 2025, which will provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement. Recent data shows that report cards are supported by 77% of parents.
The Labour government will continue to intervene in poorly performing schools to ensure high school standards for children.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“Reductive single headline grades, a broken system inherited from the Conservatives, fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance for teachers and parents in Portsmouth.
“That’s why single headline grades for schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to boost school standards and increase transparency for Portsmouth parents.
“Through these changes, we will work with schools, teachers and parents to drive real school improvements for Portsmouth children.”
Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said:
“The need for Ofsted reform to drive high and rising standards for all our children in every school is overwhelmingly clear. The removal of headline grades is a generational reform and a landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers.
“Single headline grades are low information for parents and high stakes for schools. Parents deserve a much clearer, much broader picture of how schools are performing – that’s what our report cards will provide.
“This government will make inspection a more powerful, more transparent tool for driving school improvement. We promised change, and now we are delivering.”
As part of today’s announcement, where schools are identified as struggling, government will prioritise rapidly getting plans in place to improve the education and experience of children, rather than relying purely on changing schools’ management.
From early 2025, Labour will also introduce Regional Improvement Teams that will work with struggling schools to quickly and directly address areas of weakness, meeting a manifesto commitment.
The Education Secretary has already begun to reset relations with education workforces, supporting Labour’s first step to recruit 6,500 new teachers, and reform to Ofsted marks another key milestone.
This announcement follows engagement with the sector and family of headteacher Ruth Perry, after a coroner’s inquest found the Ofsted inspection process had contributed to her death.
The government will work closely with Ofsted and relevant sectors and stakeholders to ensure that the removal of headline grades is implemented smoothly.
