Harlow school head removes Ofsted references from prospectus

Vic Goddard said mentions of Ofsted, such as parent quotes from the most recent report, were not in the latest prospectus

A head teacher said all mentions of Ofsted had been removed from his school prospectus because inspections did not do what they said "on the tin".

Vic Goddard, from Passmores Academy secondary in Harlow, Essex, said the Ofsted framework should better help parents make "informed choices".

Other schools made similar decisions following the death of Reading primary head teacher Ruth Perry.

Ofsted has since announced various changes to its inspections process.

Passmores caters for about 1,200 pupils aged 11-16 and was rated good in its most recent full inspection in May 2018.

The National Association of Head Teachers has criticised the "simplistic single-word judgements" in Ofsted reports

Mr Goddard told BBC Essex: "If you look at school brochures you will often see Ofsted quoted in speech marks - 'this school is a wonderful place' or whatever it might be.

"That's what we've removed from any of our publications. We're not using them to boost our prestige."

The family of Ms Perry, who took her own life in January, said she was under "intolerable pressure" while waiting for an Ofsted report that would rate her school as inadequate.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Head Teachers has criticised the "simplistic single-word judgements" from Ofsted in its publications.

'Fit for purpose'

Mr Goddard said inspections should be carried out more frequently, to better acknowledge improvements that schools make.

He said: "We've seen the damage that it has done to members of the profession and I have been critical of the fact I don't think it [Ofsted] is fit for purpose.

"I don't think it does what parents need. I don't think it does what schools need."

The school's Ofsted report would remain linked on its website as the government mandates, Mr Goddard said.

Ruth Perry was the head at Caversham Primary School in Reading

Ofsted announced a package of new measures in June either being implemented immediately or in September.

Schools graded inadequate due to "ineffective" safeguarding would be inspected again within three months of report publication and individuals would not be singled out in reports, Ofsted said.

An Ofsted spokesperson said: "Inspection focuses on matters such as the quality of education, behaviour and how well and safely schools are run, all of which we know matter to parents.

"However, inspection reports are only one source of information and we would encourage parents to visit the schools they are considering, as well as talking to teachers and other parents, before they make a decision."