Here’s what the new Ofsted report card could look like

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3 hours ago

February 3, 2025

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Ofsted has revealed what new report cards for schools could look like – as the sister of a headteacher who took her own life says the proposals are a “rehash” of a “dangerous” system.

One-word grades were scrapped by the government after Ruth Perry’s death in 2023 following the downgrading of her Caversham Primary School in Reading from “outstanding” to “inadequate”.

Schools in England could instead be judged across a variety of different areas – including attendance and inclusion – using a colour-coded five-point scale.

But Mrs Perry‘s sister Professor Julia Waters said: “I am worried that this proposal is a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace.”

She said while the new model has some improvements, it “retains many of the dangerous features of the previous system, while introducing a series of changes with potential new risks to the wellbeing of teachers and headteachers”.

“My sister Ruth Perry died as the result of a rude and intimidating Ofsted inspection, and its disproportionate consequences on her and her school,” she said.

“Ofsted says it has listened, but it still does not appear to have adequately learned.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she recognises the “tragedy of Ruth Perry’s death and the impetus for change her sister has brought to the system”, adding she has spoken to Prof Waters about the need for Ofsted reform.

“On the report cards in particular, I think parents are more than able to understand and take on greater information about what’s happening within their children’s school, both in terms of strengths but in terms of weakness and where there’s further work required on improvements,” she said.

The minister said she “fundamentally rejects” the idea that parents do not want to know more about areas in need of improvement, as well as “where there is excellence”.

A 12-week consultation on the inspection process for schools teaching pupils of all ages, including further education institutions, was launched on Monday.

The proposals include a new report card format to replace the single-word grade system, where schools were given an “Outstanding”, “Good”, “Requires Improvement”, or “Inadequate” rating.

Instead, judgements will be made using a 1-5 grading system using the terms: “Exemplary”, “Strong”, “Secure”, “Attention Needed”, and “Causing Concern”.

The previous judgements will remain valid until schools undergo another inspection under the new model.

Safeguarding will be assessed as a standalone category and will be classified as either met or not met.

The number of inspection areas in schools will expand from four to nine, or ten for those with a sixth form.

Under the new proposal, the areas of inspection will be Achievement, Attendance, Behaviour and Attitudes, Curriculum, Developing Teaching, Inclusion, Leadership and Governance, Personal Development and Well-Being, Sixth Form, and Safeguarding.

Ofsted has already started training inspectors to facilitate the changes for the new style inspections.

Chief inspector of Ofsted Sir Martyn Oliver said: “The new report card will give parents a clearer picture, while helping schools focus on meaningful improvements.

“We will make sure that we deliver for parents regardless of what we do.

“Our mission is to improve education for all children, particularly the most disadvantaged.”

But Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said Sir Martyn “has failed to deliver”.

“The proposals outlined in today’s consultation will make matters worse, not better,” he said.

“The secretary of state was right to remove one-word judgements, because she recognised the damage that they cause.

“Instead, the 1 to 5 grading scale proposed for the report card maintains the current blunt, reductive approach that cannot capture the complexity of school life nor provide more meaningful information to parents.”

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UK and US have ‘balanced’ trading relationship after Trump tariff threat, No 10 says

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18 seconds ago

February 3, 2025

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UK and US have 'balanced' trading relationship after Trump tariff threat, No 10 says

The UK and the US have a “fair and balanced trading relationship”, Number 10 has said, after Donald Trump claimed the UK is “out of line”.

The American president suggested he is ready to impose tariffs on both the UK and the EU after he announced 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on China.

The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares fell sharply on Monday morning after Mr Trump was asked if he will slap levies on Britain too.

He replied: “UK is out of line but I’m sure that one… I think that one can be worked out.”

Politics latest: Starmer meeting EU leaders in post-Brexit milestone

Reacting to that comment, a UK government spokesman said: “The US is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners, and we have a fair and balanced trading relationship which benefits both sides of the Atlantic.

“We look forward to working closely with President Trump to continue to build on UK-US trading relations for our economy, businesses and the British people.”

The US represents 18% (£300bn) of the UK’s trade and the countries are each other’s single largest investors with £1.2trn invested in each other’s economies.

Mr Trump’s comments and the subsequent market fallout, also seen in Europe, are set to overshadow Sir Keir Starmer becoming the first UK leader to meet all 27 EU chiefs since Brexit.

UK ministers have previously suggested the country could avoid US tariffs as it does not have a trade deficit with Britain.

Despite his threat, Mr Trump had positive words for the UK when he said discussions with the prime minister have “been very nice”.

“We’ve had a couple of meetings. We’ve had numerous phone calls. We’re getting along very well,” he said.

However, he said tariffs will “definitely” be placed on goods from the EU as he said America’s trade deficit with the bloc is “an atrocity” and “they take almost nothing and we take everything from them”.

Following Mr Trump revealing levies on Canada, Mexico and China, but before his UK and EU tariff comments, Sir Keir said: “It is early days. What I want to see is strong trading relations.

“In the discussions that I have had with President Trump, that is what we have centred on – a strong trading relationship.”

Canada, Mexico and China have all vowed to slap tariffs on US goods, sparking fears of a global trade war.

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Starmer must delicately balance his risky EU reset as UK braces for Trump’s next move on tariffs

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3 hours ago

February 3, 2025

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Starmer must delicately balance his risky EU reset as UK braces for Trump's next move on tariffs

As Donald Trump kicks off his threatened trade war by slapping tariffs on both friends and foes alike, Number 10 is preparing for the moment he turns his attention to the UK.

The unpredictability of the returning president, emboldened by a second term, means the prime minister must plan for every possible scenario.

Under normal circumstances, the special relationship might be the basis for special treatment but the early signs suggest, maybe not.

It was never going to be an easy ride, with Sir Keir Starmer’s top team racking up years of insults against Trump when they were in opposition.

The bad feeling continued when Peter Mandelson was proposed as the UK’s new ambassador to the US – prompting speculation he might even be vetoed.

Amid all of this, the much-anticipated call between the two leaders seemed slow to take place, although it was cordial when POTUS finally picked up the phone last Sunday, with a trip to Washington to come “soon”.

It is against this slightly tense backdrop that the future of transatlantic trade will be decided, with Westminster braced for the impact of the president’s next move.

So, it’s unsurprising that as he waits, Sir Keir will spend the next few days resetting a different trading relationship – with Europe.

In this area, he is on slightly firmer ground, as the spectre of a global trade war makes European leaders want to huddle closer together to weather the storm.

And conversely, the Labour government’s track record works in their favour here, as they cash in their pro-EU credentials and wipe the slate clean after the bad-tempered Boris Johnson years.

It is still, however, an ambitious and risky endeavour to begin the delicate process of removing some of the most obstructive post-Brexit bureaucracy.

For minimal economic benefits on both sides, the UK must convince the Europeans that they are not letting Britain “have its cake and eat it”.

At the same time, Brexiteers back at home will cry betrayal at any hint that the UK is sneaking back into the bloc via the back door.

To make it even trickier, it must all be done with one eye on Washington, because while a united Europe may be necessary in the Trump era, the prime minister will not want to seem like he is picking sides so early on.

As with so many things in politics, it’s a delicate balancing act with the most serious of consequences, for a prime minister who is still to prove himself.

Politics

Sir Keir Starmer to urge EU nations to ‘shoulder more of the burden’ on defence spending

Published

3 hours ago

February 3, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer to urge EU nations to 'shoulder more of the burden' on defence spending

Sir Keir Starmer will urge European countries to commit more in defence spending as he heads to Brussels for security talks.

The prime minister will call on Europe to “step up and shoulder more of the burden” to fend off the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Sir Keir, the first prime minister to meet all the leaders of the 27 EU nations in Brussels since Brexit, will argue the bloc needs to capitalise on the weak state of the Russian economy by continuing with its sanctions regime.

The prime minister will meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday afternoon before travelling to meet with the leaders at an informal meeting of the European Council.

Sir Keir is expected to say: “We need to see all allies stepping up – particularly in Europe.

“President Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia and it’s clear that’s got Putin rattled. We know that he’s worried about the state of the Russian economy.

“I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine.

“Because ultimately, alongside our military support, that is what will bring peace closer.”

Sir Keir’s suggestion that EU countries should spend more on defence was criticised by the Conservatives, who have urged the government to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said that while “continuing to do everything possible to support Ukraine must remain our top security priority”, it had to accompanied by “urgently increasing defence spending on our own armed forces”.

“Starmer is actually delaying spending 2.5% and, as a result, undermining our ability to rearm at the scale and pace required by the threats we face.”

The prime minister said at the end of last year that he would “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring.

The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP [gross domestic product] on defence.

Last year EU member states spent an average of 1.9% of EU GDP on defence, according to the European Defence Agency, a 30% increase compared with 2021.

Earlier this week European Council President Antonio Costa said the 23 EU members who belong to NATO are likely to agree to raise the defence spending target above the current 2% of national output at the next NATO summit in June.

However, Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO – the military alliance consisting of 30 European countries and the US and Canada – arguing that his country is contributing too much to the alliance’s budget while Europeans contribute too little.

During the US election campaign, President Trump said America would only help defend NATO members from a future attack by Russia if they met their spending obligations.

He also said members of NATO should be contributing 5% of their GDPs to defence spending – rather than the previous target of 2%.

The session of the Informal European Council comes as the government seeks to reset its relationship with the EU and boost areas of cooperation, including on defence and tackling illegal migration.

On Sunday the prime minister hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at his country residence Chequers, where the two leaders agreed on the “importance of scaling up and coordinating defence production across Europe”, Downing Street said.

However, the government has repeatedly said that a closer relationship with the EU will only be sought within its red lines – meaning there will be no return to freedom of movement and rejoining the customs union or single market.