Education Secretary backs Ofsted
It follows the death of Reading headteacher Ruth Perry
The Education Secretary has backed Ofsted's "one-word assessments" amid calls from teachers for the system to be abolished.
It comes after the death of Berkshire headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life while waiting for an Ofsted report, which downgraded her Reading school to the lowest rating.
Pressure on the watchdog continues to mount as unions call for an immediate freeze of inspections to allow for full mental health assessments to be carried out on teachers.
But, Gillian Keegan says single-word ratings are "clear" and "easy for parents to navigate".
Touring broadcast studios on Monday, Ms Keegan described Ms Perry's death as "tragic" and said His Majesty's Chief Inspector is looking at whether the way the regulator works with schools can be improved.
But she insisted "undermining Ofsted" is "not the right approach", describing the role it plays in upholding standards and safeguarding as "crucial".
"I know His Majesty's Chief Inspector is looking at this following the tragic case of Ruth Perry, which is tragic and our thoughts do go out to her family and friends and her school community," she said.
Asked if she supports Ofsted's single-word assessments, which rank schools from "outstanding" to "inadequate", Ms Keegan said: "Yeah. They're clear. They're simple to understand."
She added: "There's quite a broad framework that's assessed as part of Ofsted and they've actually looked to broaden that framework even more.
"Of course, if there are areas that needed to develop further then that is where the right conversation to have is."
It comes a week after a motion calling for Ofsted to be abolished was approved at the NASUWT's annual conference in Glasgow.
Critics argue single-word ratings fail to reflect the complexity of a school and the quality of its teaching.
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has also indicated it could take legal action against the watchdog after it did not suspend inspections following Ms Perry's death.
The motion carried by the NASUWT union acknowledged the "perceived demands of Ofsted are the major contributor to the excessive workload and bureaucracy that blights the lives of teachers".
An Ofsted spokesman declined to comment on the NASUWT's proposals but said: "Inspections are first and foremost for children and their parents - looking in depth at the quality of education, behaviour and how well, and safely, schools are run.
"Our inspectors are all former or current school leaders who fully understand the pressures of the role. We always want inspections to be constructive and collaborative, and in the vast majority of cases school leaders agree that they are."
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