Responding to a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which demands reform of Ofsted inspections and an end to a 'football manager' style hire and fire culture on the back of single-word judgements, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“There is now a growing consensus that the way Ofsted reports on school performance needs to change.

"There seems to be almost no-one left that thinks the single word judgement approach offers useful information and, as this report points out, the current system of simplistic grading can do more harm than good.

"We need a new conversation about how we can give schools and parents the information they need.

"We also agree that the link between Ofsted outcomes and intervention is no longer working and a new approach is required.

"The arrival of a new chief inspector in the new year means that now is the perfect time for that conversation to take place.”