Gillian Keegan rates the Government using Ofsted descriptions - and it's not 'Outstanding'

5 February 2024, 11:38 | Updated: 5 February 2024, 11:48

Gillian Keegan gives the government an Ofsted grading

By Jasmine Moody

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan did not give the Government the top rating when asked to evaluate its performance based on Ofsted's one-word ratings.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, Gillian Keegan said she would rate the Government as "Good" using Ofsted's four-point grading scale of Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, and Inadequate.

When asked how she would grade the Government's performance using the watchdog's system, she said: "I would say 'Good'. Often a lot of the things that we've delivered nobody ever talks about."

Mrs Keegan added: "When you've gone from 68 per cent to 89 per cent Good or Outstanding schools. When you've gone from no apprenticeship system to one that's training 5.7 million people. I think you can look and say there's a lot that has been achieved."

When asked by Nick to sum up the Government in one word, Ms Keegan said: "Delivering."

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The rating comes after Nick asked the education secretary whether it is "fair" to describe the entirety of a school in one word.

There has been increased debate into whether these ratings are truly adequate and fair after a headmistress took her own life after a critical Ofsted report.

Read more: Teachers 'locking themselves in class' over safety fears, Ofsted chief warns, as schools told to 'pause' inspections

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Ruth Perry was said to have been devastated when the education inspector downgraded Caversham Primary School from outstanding to inadequate.

The school in Reading was judged to be "good" in each category Ofsted inspects except for leadership and management, which was branded "inadequate".

School leaders did not have the knowledge needed to keep pupils "safe from harm" and did not take prompt actions to ensure "effective" safeguarding, Ofsted found.

Her death led to questions about how the watchdog conducts its inspections and evaluates schools when it often uses blunt ratings.

The school was reinspected on June 21 and 22 and a fresh report, which does not mention Perry, rates it good in all categories.

Ofsted boss Sir Martyn Oliver said the organisation could be "far more empathetic" and he said he is "determined that we learn from" the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

There had been no new routine inspections until late January but emergency safeguarding visits still took place.