Ofsted set to report to pupils

When Ofsted begins its new system of tougher but shorter inspections in September, pupils are set to receive reports on how well their school has performed.

Ofsted says the reports will be written in language the children can understand and will help demystify the inspection process.

Chief inspector of schools David Bell dismissed accusations that the plans were nothing more than a gimmick, saying: “This new system of inspection is explicitly about ‘raising the bar’ of expected performance.”

But David Hart, head of the NAHT, warned that the reports could harm classroom discipline. He pointed out that children could lose respect for teachers criticised by a report and that it would be difficult for such a teacher to assert their authority knowing pupils had read the criticisms. “It is a totally unacceptable way forward,” Mr Hart concluded.