Colchester nursery backs one-word Ofsted gradings change

It was confirmed by the government on Monday that schools will no longer be issued with one of four headline grades when inspected by Ofsted.

The typical Ofsted headline grades for overall effectiveness were outstanding, good, requires improvement, and inadequate.

Many teachers across Colchester have welcomed the scraping of the gradings and one even called for Ofsted to be “abolished”.

Grading - an Ofsted banner at a school (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)

This academic year, parents will still be able to see the four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

The 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.

Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating, “outstanding”, to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.

Sad - Ruth Perry (Image: PA)

The boss of Safari Childcare, Chanel Lassman, which has two day-cares in Colchester and one in Wickford, is backing the decision to scrap the one-word gradings.

The Safari Childcare in Halstead Road, Colchester, was graded as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in August.

The nursery has disputed the findings with Ofsted. 

Nursery - Safari Childcare in Halstead Road (Image: Newsquest)

She said: “I fully support transparency in early years and childcare settings and whilst I believe there needs to be some form of governing body and inspection system to ensure all children have access to high quality childcare and early education.

"I welcome Ofsted’s decision to scrap the use of one-word judgements in school inspections. This progressive step marks a significant move toward providing a more comprehensive and balanced evaluation of providers.

"For years, the single-word grading system—such as "Outstanding," "Good," or "Inadequate"—has oversimplified the complex and nuanced performance of nurseries, schools, and childcare providers.

"I believe that replacing these one-word judgements with more detailed, narrative-based reports will offer a fuller picture of a setting’s strengths and areas for improvement, ultimately benefiting educators, parents, and children alike.

"A more detailed and balanced approach will allow parents to make informed decisions, while empowering educators to continuously improve without the pressure of a single-word judgement which can have tragic outcomes not only to businesses and individuals but to people's lives.

"I believe the government should now speed up this process for private providers to follow suit. As of yet there is no set date for single word judgements to be scrapped in the early years sector."