App-style reports helping parents compare schools

Choosing a caller schoolhouse is 1 of the biggest decisions a genitor makes, and is often based connected a substance of visiting, speaking to friends and looking astatine Ofsted reports.

From September 2025 a caller "report card" based connected Ofsted inspections is owed to beryllium introduced, replacing the one-word judgements scrapped this year.

Three areas successful England person already been looking astatine processing a much elaborate section study successful effect to parents asking for much information.

In the northbound London borough of Camden, a newly-styled schoolhouse study paper is being piloted, designed to beryllium utilized connected smartphones and tablets.

It volition let parents to hunt successful an country astir them for schools, and spell into a tract wherever they tin research done words, pictures and information what the schools are like.

A erstwhile caput of Ofsted says the enactment successful Camden, which has been shared with the BBC, should power ministers reasoning astir what parents request successful the nationalist changes.

The archetypal conception of Camden’s schoolhouse reports shows “Our schoolhouse successful 100 words” - a statement of values and strengths, written by the school.

This is intimately followed by “Our schoolhouse successful 10 photos”, to amusement the facilities and activities disposable to pupils.

The school's latest Ofsted report, usually 2 to 3 pages of writing, is embedded wrong the site.

But the study besides pulls unneurotic immoderate authoritative statistic not included successful Ofsted reports, specified arsenic GCSE results oregon those successful superior nationalist program tests, often known arsenic Sats, compared with some the section and nationalist average. It besides includes information connected absence.

Each schoolhouse besides has to acceptable retired its approaches to learning, pupils’ wellbeing, its anti-bullying policy, and however it supports children with peculiar acquisition needs.

And each of the accusation has to beryllium submitted and checked earlier being uploaded, truthful it is successful a modular format allowing parents to comparison schools.

Shabnam Eslambolchi, whose girl is successful Year 4 astatine Gospel Oak Primary School, truly likes the mode the caller tract combines descriptions, photos and charts to archer her much astir the schoolhouse than the existent Ofsted study does.

“You person a accidental to work what the schoolhouse is about, what they offer, you larn astir the schoolhouse community,” Mrs Eslambolchi, who is caput of the PTA, says.

Marcus Goddard, who chairs the school’s governors, is astir to commencement looking astatine secondary schools for his oldest child.

“I haven't taken the clip to work the Ofsted reports,” helium admits, adding: “I deliberation I would work the study cards, mostly due to the fact that of the mode they've been formatted.”

Pupils privation a accidental successful what schoolhouse is champion for them excessively - and the determination is simply a caller representation for Year 7s astatine Regent High School.

Savannah wanted to cognize “if the teachers are good, and if the food’s nice”.

Eros agrees, though helium says the gathering and facilities besides mattered.

And Tyreese wanted to cognize what subjects were connected connection and that “everybody tin beryllium loving and caring to 1 another”.

The study paper task has been led by Camden Learning, a concern betwixt the section schools and the council, chaired by Dame Christine Gilbert, formerly England’s main inspector of schools, moving Ofsted for 5 years until 2011.

She says the “big idea” came from parents who wanted thing to springiness them a existent flavour of the school, specified arsenic however important athletics was oregon the attack to discipline.

Dame Christine is “amazed astatine however it captures the ethos of the schools” and however beardown the idiosyncratic reactions are of parents who person tried it out.

In “Our School successful 100 Words”, 1 secondary said it was feminist. And erstwhile that was shown to a absorption group, 1 genitor said they would “really want” their kid to spell there, portion different “absolutely wouldn’t”.

Dame Christine says ministers and Ofsted should larn from the Camden project, arsenic good arsenic akin enactment nether mode successful Sheffield and Milton Keynes.

“It’s truly important we perceive to the voices of parents," she tells me, "and present successful a precise elemental cost-effective mode parents volition person much information.”

A nationalist consultation connected what Ofsted’s study cards should look similar is owed to commencement aboriginal adjacent year.

Leaks suggesting it volition springiness schools coded ratings successful 10 areas person proved arguable with acquisition unions.

The large quality with the Camden attack is it is created alongside schools, allowing them to person a accidental successful what their strengths and weaknesses are.

But this raises a question astir whether Camden’s reports would supply capable situation to schools to improve.

Regent High School caput Gary Moore, who has been fielding questions from parents connected unfastened days this term, says inspection has a precise important relation but welcomes the scrapping of Ofsted's “brutal" one-word wide judgements.

The broader, report-card attack is an betterment connected “quite dry” Ofsted reports often not “written successful family-friendly speak”, Mr Moore adds.

Gospel Oak caput teacher John Hayes says helium wanted to collaborate connected thing “more authentic, much utile to parents” portion besides recognising “as nationalist servants with an incredibly important job, we bash request to beryllium held to account”.

Camden intends to support connected including Ofsted judgements successful the caller nationalist study cards from adjacent year. Sheffield volition people a study connected its enactment truthful acold successful the coming weeks.