Metro – Grade big U-turn on schools
The Metro reports the one-word verdicts used to categorise schools by Ofsted are set to be scrapped immediately after a coroner ruled the phrases contributed to headteacher Ruth Perry taking her own life.
A second front page features SNP leader John Swinney ahead of revealing his legislative programme this week.
Ofsted scraps one-word gradings for schools after head teacher’s death
Oftsed’s new grading system has been welcomed by the family of Ruth Perry, a headteacher who killed herself after her school was downgraded.
A coroner found the inspection process contributed to the headteacher’s death, which came after Caversham Primary in Reading dropped from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’.
Now those one-word gradings have been dropped with immediate effect following a campaign by Ms Perry’s family.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: ‘I’m committed to improving the chances of young people and delivering on my mission to break down the barriers to opportunity.
‘We are driving up school standards by replacing the one-word Ofsted grade with new report cards to give parents a clearer picture of school performance.’
Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said: ‘We are delighted and relieved that the Government has decided to take this important and long-overdue step.
‘Single-word headline judgments are dangerous and reductive. They are unpopular with parents and teachers, and their simplistic impact has made the daily job of improving school standards harder for everyone except the bureaucrats.
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 02 September 2024.
Monday’s front pages have a variety of domestic and international leads with the broadsheets slightly more focused on the latest happenings on the global stage. The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been found in Gaza, the latest from the Ukraine-Russia War and the German far-right’s election victory in the east are among the popular headlines on the front splash.
A little closer to home, the front pages report on the latest from Downing Street including Labour axing winter fuel payments and the shake-up of the Ofcom rating system following the death of a head teacher last year.
Oasis, Venice Film Festival and Man Utd’s humiliating loss to Liverpool are all pictured on the front pages. The weekend’s Premier League action dominates the back pages.