End to school rating system could play havoc with house prices, says Ofsted chief
Speaking at an education conference, Martyn Oliver said parents and schools had become familiar with headline grades after 30 years of use, saying he knew of house prices shooting up by £15,000 after nearby schools were graded as outstanding.
But from November schools and colleges will be given more nuanced 'report cards' with up to 11 different grades given to each institution.
Oliver said: 'We're about to take that away and change it to something else that for more than three decades people were used to. I mean, here's the burning question: what's Rightmove going to do?'
Rightmove and other property websites prominently display Ofsted's headline ratings for nearby schools on their listing.
After laughs from the audience, Oliver said: 'It's a serious point. Ofsted is probably one of the best-known regulators and inspectors in the world, let alone in this country.'
Asked what impact the new report cards would have on house prices, Oliver said: 'I don't know but I do know that where I live … we've got two special measures schools right where I live, and the house prices shot up. They were both in special measures, both went outstanding, and the house prices went up £15,000 in a week. It does make a difference.
'Parents obviously put a value on it.'
Ofsted inspections and gradings were criticised after the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry, after an Ofsted inspection downgraded her school from outstanding to inadequate. Perry's husband told her inquest that she worried local house prices would fall as a result of the downgrade.
Doing away with headline school grades and bringing in report cards was a manifesto pledge by Labour at the last general election.
From November, schools and colleges in England will get ratings issued on up to 11 different areas. Each area will be given one of five grades: exemplary, strong, secure, attention needed or causing concern. But there will be no overall or summary grade.
So far, headteachers and teaching unions have been unimpressed by Ofsted's proposals, while Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is said to be monitoring the results closely.
The chief inspector apologised for the rushed nature of the changes and consultations. He said: 'The system was saying Ofsted needed urgent and quick reform. And so I chose to put something out that I knew would be just the beginnings, just the foundations.'
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, said: 'The mess Ofsted have got themselves into is entirely of Sir Martyn Oliver's making and it is disappointing that he has tried to pass the buck.'
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
American Mayer announces candidacy for FIA president
SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - American Tim Mayer announced on Friday he will stand against Emirati incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in a December vote for president of the FIA, motorsport's world governing body. The 59-year-old, who served as a Formula One steward until last year, is the son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer. "I believe I am the right person, at the right time, in the right place," Mayer told a press conference at a hotel near Silverstone, the British Grand Prix circuit. He added that he had been working on his campaign for six months. "What I see is a failure in leadership right now," he said. "Instead of reform, we've seen performance. Behind the stagecraft, we've been left with the illusion of progress; and the illusion of leadership, while the most senior team he appointed has departed." Mayer said last November he had been dismissed as a steward via text message by an assistant to Ben Sulayem. The FIA disputes that detail. The American said standing was not an act of revenge but about driving the organisation forward -- with his campaign branded FIAforward. There was no immediate response from the FIA. Ben Sulayem, who has made much of returning the governing body to profit, has been a controversial figure since his election in 2021. There have been battles with Liberty Media over commercial matters and accusations of sexism, and there has been a high turnover of senior staff. Critics also say statute changes , approved by FIA members, limit the powers of audit and ethics committees and make it harder for rivals to stand against him. Mayer described his bid as a Herculean task with the deck stacked in Ben Sulayem's favour, given recent statute changes, and only five months to campaign and win votes from member federations. Mayer did not say who would be on his presidential list, a requirement for standing, which he admitted still had some open positions. He said he had good support from Motorsport UK and had informed Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Liberty Media-owned Formula One, of his plans. "The job now is to go out and explain to lots of small clubs around the world ... why we can do a better job," said Mayer. "Explaining how we can bring value and restructure the FIA to do a better job. "I do feel restructuring needs to happen." Ben Sulayem has already announced he is seeking a second term and until Friday had no declared opponent, with Spain's double world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. recently deciding not to stand. Mayer said he would have stood even if Sainz had decided to run. He also dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest regarding the historic family connection with McLaren. The FIA is the governing body for F1, the world rally championship and Formula E among other series.
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tesla sales grow again as EVs account for a quarter of car sales in June
Latest new car sales figures show a sharp increase in the take-up of electric cars with 46,354 new EVs registered during June, an increase of 39.1 per cent on June 2024. That means a quarter of all cars sold in June were fully electric. So far in 2025, 224,841 electric cars have been registered, accounting for 21.6 per cent of the entire car market. Even though that represents over 34.6per cent growth year-on-year, that still falls short of the government target of 28 per cent market share for EVs in 2025. Tesla returned to the top of the EV sales charts with sales up 14 per cent year-on year. Deliveries of the new Tesla Model Y have started to come on stream with 4,181 of them delivered to new owners in June. Deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 also picked up with 3,538 sold. Although the overall van market has declined so far in 2025, demand for electric vans has grown by a massive 52.8 per cent. However, that also falls well behind the government's ZEV Mandate target for vans of 16 per cent for 2025. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, 'A second consecutive month of growth for the new car market is good news, as is the positive performance of EVs. That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels. As we have seen in other countries, government incentives can supercharge the market transition, without which the climate change ambitions we all share will be under threat.'
Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
UK's rarest cars: 1964 Vauxhall Cresta Radford, the only one left
In 1964, owning a Cresta Radford meant you had – hopefully – joined the social elite. With such a car, your neighbours and business colleagues alike would recognise you as a person of substance. But 61 years later, Tony Park's Vauxhall is believed to be the sole surviving example. The Vauxhall Radford, as it was billed in publicity materials, resulted from Harold Radford (Coachbuilders) Ltd diversifying from Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. In 1962, Peter Sellers commissioned its coachbuilding rival Hooper to undertake £1,800 of work on his Morris Mini Cooper to create the ultimate town car. The firm also produced a Ford Zodiac Mk3 Hooper. That year, Harold Radford, a figure the press once described as a 'socialite coachbuilder', met with David Jones, Vauxhall's head of styling, at the London Motor Show. The event marked the launch of the Cresta PB and Radford saw the potential for a specially equipped model for motorists with Jaguar MkX aspirations but not quite a Jaguar MkX income. On 11 October 1963, this newspaper reported on a '2.6-litre Vauxhall Cresta for the business executive'. Such an important individual clearly merited a Cresta with special wheel trims, a new grille, quad headlights and integral fog lamps. There was also a rear window demister (still an uncommon device in 1963), extra brake lights and marker lamps on the C-pillars. Separate height-adjustable reclining front seats replaced the standard bench, with Radford stating: 'Needless to say, they are trimmed in finest quality hide.' The Cresta Radford's list of equipment further included lambswool carpeting and West of England cloth headlining, a transistor radio with an electric aerial, red warning lights in the front doors, an ammeter and an oil pressure gauge. Meanwhile, rear seat passengers benefited from adjustable reading lamps, picnic tables and a glove locker incorporated into the central armrest. Sybaritic buyers could also specify a full-length Webasto sunroof and a sliding glass division between front and rear seats. As with the standard Cresta, the transmission choices were three-speed manual, as on Park's car, with or without overdrive, or a two-pedal Hydramatic self-shifter. Vauxhall marked the Radford via a select group of dealers in areas with well-heeled customers. The in-house journal Vauxhall Motorist enthused: 'If you want your motoring in real tycoon style without the super-tax price-label of prestige limousines, you ought to try the new Vauxhall Radford – an extra-luxury model that boosts your prestige without busting your bank balance.' Even allowing for the £466 10s price of the conversion, the Cresta Radford was still well below the £2,000 threshold for claiming tax relief on a 'business car'. By 1964, the Radford, as with the rest of the PB range, gained a 3.3-litre straight-six engine. The Telegraph found: 'It is even possible to start in top gear – I know because I tried it!' and Autocar thought the 3,294cc engine had 'an electrifying effect' on the PB. At £1,450 10s, the Radford was cheaper than the Humber Imperial at £1,796 or the Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R for £1,995. The Rover 3-Litre Saloon was £1,770, but its sober appearance lacked the Vauxhall's celebration of conspicuous consumption. Only 25 Cresta Radfords departed the coachbuilder's works before the PC series replaced the PB in the autumn of 1965. The following year, Vauxhall created an in-house uber-Cresta in the form of the splendidly named Viscount. Park's example originally hailed from Brighton; he became its third owner in 2022. After the interior was restored, the Radford was once more the ideal vehicle for 'lovers of good living' and even served as a caravan tow car. The Cresta Radford is a charming footnote in Vauxhall's history, one that illustrates how Harold Radford adapted to a changing world. By 1964, Autocar reported the company 'specialise more in body conversions than new bodywork', from the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud SIII Countryman to the Mini de Ville and the 'executive Vauxhall Cresta'. And today, Park's unique example still looks set for a trip to London's glittering West End to see Frankie Vaughan in cabaret at the Talk of the Town.
