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Question
Asked if Ofsted's legal duty to identify failing schools remains, questioned clarity for other sectors like early years and social care. Criticised the lack of transparency in the report cards.
Minister reply
The Minister confirmed that Ofsted’s legal duty to identify underperforming schools will remain but emphasised the need to reform the system left by the previous Government. She also highlighted the importance of taking action for better outcomes.
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Question
Thanked the Minister for swift action and asked if Ofsted will hold schools accountable for their inclusion practices in report cards.
Minister reply
The Minister confirmed that consultation is ongoing, with a focus on providing clearer information to parents about school support for children with special educational needs.
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Question
Welcoming the change, Munira Wilson expressed hope that it would be followed by further reforms to ensure Ofsted is seen as a partner and not an adversary. She also inquired about the connection between the curriculum review and these changes.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell thanked the hon. Lady for her welcome and confirmed the commitment to partnership with Ofsted, citing the need for transparency and improvement in schools. The Minister mentioned that Ofsted is listening and will implement necessary changes, and the curriculum review aims at ensuring a breadth of experience for students.
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Question
Brackenridge asked how the reforms would support children with special educational needs in Wolverhampton and beyond.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell stated that the goal is to ensure an inclusive school system and provide greater transparency in inspections, focusing on areas where schools can improve. The aim is to drive high standards for every child.
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Question
Williamson asked about the trigger mechanism for intervention in failing schools.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell confirmed that where there are serious failings in schools, the Government will continue to intervene. The new report card system will be developed over a year with consultation.
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Question
Brash thanked the Minister for reforms and extended thanks to teachers starting the term.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell agreed, thanking teachers and emphasising that this Government's priority is high standards in every school.
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Question
Moran shared her experience with Ofsted inspections and asked about learning from other inspection regimes.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell said that the system should help drive improvement, identify strengths and areas for development in schools. The Department will consult extensively over a year to ensure the reforms are done in partnership.
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Question
Paffey thanked the Minister and offered assurance that this Government intends to work in real partnership.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell echoed the sentiment, thanking teachers and support staff for their hard work. She reiterated the commitment to working with the sector to deliver high standards.
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Question
Lewis suggested that a proper marking system could be used instead of simplistic one-word judgments.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell agreed, noting the importance of transparency and clarity for parents. The aim is to provide detailed information on school performance.
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Question
Ryan said schools deserve better support from the Government, implying that previous governments failed in this regard.
Minister reply
Catherine McKinnell agreed with Ryan's sentiment, emphasising that the focus is on children and ensuring they receive high-quality education.
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Question
I welcome the announcement by the Government, as do many schools and parents in my constituency, who want more information rather than just one-word ratings. Can I urge the Minister to give parents more power through greater detail, while ensuring that ratings are easy for parents to understand?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman has very much set out our aim and intention, and that is why we will consult extensively on this. We have given ourselves till September 2025 to have the report cards in place, and we want to ensure that we have input from education experts, parents and children, and that we maximise this opportunity to, as he put it, maximise the information that parents will find useful and the information that schools will find useful, to drive the improvement that they want for their children.
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Question
York Outer is home to many inspirational teachers and I am proud that my wife is one of them, but heads tell me that there is a recruitment and retention crisis. Does the Minister agree that the end of Ofsted headline judgments will improve teacher retention, and can she update the House on the plans to recruit 6,500 specialist teachers?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and I wish his wife, and all teachers starting their new school term, well. It is an incredibly exciting time. It is a little bit daunting for some, but it is an important opportunity to reset their school life at the beginning of a new year. Similarly, this is an opportunity for us to reset our relationship with the sector. In doing so, we must ensure that we can recruit the necessary teachers. We must make teaching the attractive, respected and admired profession that it should be, to ensure that we meet the pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers.
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Question
I thank the Minister for her response to all the questions and wish her well in the role that she now plays to make education better for our children. That is what we all wish to see. The Minister will understand the need for parents to easily and simply determine which school best fits the needs of their child and family, and that any review of a school must be accessible not only to those with an educational background but to those who are perhaps not familiar with educational terminology. This needs to be clear in the reporting. Does the Minister also acknowledge that, rather than having teaching staff focus on an area that appears to be getting a lower grade than the rest, and directing resources to improving that one area, the resources and attention must instead go to children and their educational needs, which are more varied and complex than ever before?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman makes a characteristically thoughtful point, and I do not disagree with anything that he said. In fact, the report card system should give a much more holistic picture of school life. A parent knows their child, and they know the sort of school environment that will suit them. A report card system will enable the highlighting of areas where a school may be doing particularly well, and the areas where it may need to strive to improve. That will be useful for parents. It will also be useful for schools to know where they can improve, and it will be useful in driving high and rising standards for every child.
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Question
If I were to pick a single word to describe Ofsted’s grading system, it would be “inadequate”, so I welcome the Government’s commitment to reviewing Ofsted’s review system, and particularly to reviewing its focus on special educational needs. Will the Minister engage with families with special educational needs when developing the new school report card system?
Minister reply
Ensuring that we meet the needs of children with special educational needs and their families is a key priority for the Government. We recognise that the system is broken and that there are too many families and too many children not getting the education that they deserve. We see this as part of the process of resetting that relationship and resetting the system so that we can have a school system that is inclusive, where that is appropriate, and so that we can have mainstream schools that serve the whole community.
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Question
I thank the Minister for her statement, and for her clarity on the next steps to drive improvement in schools across the country. Many teachers and parents will welcome the news that we will move away from one-word inspections, but intervention is not the same as driving improvement. Can the Minister reassure me that, alongside intervention, there will be a plan and support for schools so that we see the improvements necessary to give every child the best start in life?
Minister reply
We will continue to intervene in the worst-performing schools. Where a school would previously have been rated “inadequate”, the Government will still take action. We will issue academy orders, if required, in line with legal requirements. Inspection reports will continue to make it clear to parents if a school is in this situation, and Ofsted will continue to make it clear where a school is causing concern and if intervention is required by law. We will also ensure that, where schools need support, they get that support.
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Question
I welcome the Minister’s changes to Ofsted inspections. This holistic approach is genuinely common sense. In the future, will similar measures apply to children’s services?
Minister reply
We recognise that this is a first step on the journey towards removing single headline grades, which we see as reductive—we have widespread agreement on that—across all educational remits. At this stage, we are implementing it in schools as a matter of priority, but we will work with Ofsted and the sector over the next year to develop reporting arrangements across a whole range of areas for which Ofsted has responsibility.
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Question
I congratulate the Minister on this rapid work. The Conservatives had 14 years, but Labour Ministers have done it in a matter of weeks. Can I have a commitment that Ofsted’s focus on attainment, SEND and attendance will be laser-focused? For the benefit of the House, there are only two more Conservatives Members in the Chamber for this statement on education standards than are standing for the Conservative party leadership.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right. We have delivered at pace and hit the ground running when it comes to improving our education system. Just as every day at school matters, every day in government matters for driving high and rising standards for every child. My hon. Friend rightly identifies attendance as a key issue, and we share that concern.
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Question
The decision to end single-word judgments will be welcomed by education professionals across Birmingham. I have seen in my own household the mental and physical toll that the old system could impose. Can the Minister confirm that the new school report card will allow Ofsted to assess SEND inclusion alongside SEND attainment?
Minister reply
Yes. We know that the current system is not working for anyone, which is why the changes we have outlined are so important. We know that we need to spread best practice and drive standards across all of our schools, including for children with special educational needs, who are a key priority for this Government.
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Question
I thank the Minister for her statement. Anyone who has visited a school in their constituency before or after an Ofsted inspection cannot help but know the impact on staff. I welcome this opportunity to reset our relationship with educators and families, because it is so important right now that those young people who are looking to become teachers see it as a worthwhile profession in which they will be welcomed and appreciated by the Government. I hope this is an opportunity for the Minister to work with the education sector and families to build a report system that is fit for purpose and encourages people to work in the education system.
Minister reply
Hear, hear. We know that the system has been letting down children and families, and that we have a shortage of people who want to be teachers. We need to make sure we have a teaching workforce that can deliver the education that every child deserves.