UK MPs Call for End to Ofsted's Single-Word School Judgments

The move follows the suicide of a headteacher after her school was downgraded, with the education select committee urging a more nuanced system to better reflect school performance.

• A cross-party House of Commons education select committee has called for an end to single-word judgments such as 'outstanding' and 'inadequate' by Ofsted, the UK's school inspection body.
• The call comes in the wake of the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry, whose school was downgraded from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate', a decision that 'likely contributed' to her death, according to a coroner's report.
• The committee recommends that these judgments be replaced with a more nuanced system that better captures the complex nature of a school's performance.
• The Department for Education (DfE) and Ofsted have been urged to develop this alternative as a priority.
• The committee's report has been welcomed by Perry's family, who hope it will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

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