First take a look at the application style report to help parents compare schools

Choosing a new school is one of the biggest decisions parents make, and is often based on a mix of visits, speaking with friends and looking at the Ofsted report.

From September 2025, a new “report card” based on Ofsted inspections will be introduced, replacing the one-word decision. canceled this year.

Three areas in England are already looking to develop more detailed local reports in response to parents asking for more information.

In the north London borough of Camden, a new-style school report card is being piloted, designed to be used on smartphones and tablets.

It will allow parents to search in the area around them for the school, and go to the site where they can explore through words, images and data what the school is like.

The former head of Ofsted said the work in Camden, which he shared with the BBC, should influence ministers to think about what parents need in a national change.

The first part of the Camden school report shows “Our school in 100 words” – a description of the values ​​and strengths, written by the school.

This is closely followed by “Our school in 10 photos”, to show the facilities and activities available to students.

The school’s most recent Ofsted report, usually two to three pages of writing, is posted on the site.

But the report also incorporates some official statistics not included in the Ofsted report, such as GCSE results or those in key national curriculum tests, often known as Sats, compared to local and national averages. It also includes absenteeism data.

Each school must also determine its approach to learning, student welfare, anti-bullying policies, and how to support children with special educational needs.

And all information must be submitted and checked before being uploaded, so it’s in a standard format that allows parents to compare schools.

Shabnam Eslambolchi, whose daughter is in Year 4 at Gospel Oak Primary School, really likes the way the new site combines descriptions, photos and charts to tell her more about the school than the current Ofsted report.

“You have the opportunity to read about the school, what it has to offer, you learn about the school community,” said Mrs. Eslambolchi, who is the head of the PTA.

Marcus Goddard, who is a school governor, will start looking for a secondary school for his oldest child.

“I don’t take the time to read the Ofsted report,” he admits, adding: “I think I’ll read the report card, mostly because of the way it’s formatted.”

Students also want to say what school is best for them – and the decision is a new memory for 7 years at SMA Rebuti.

Savanna wants to know “if the teacher is good, and if the food is good”.

Eros agrees, although he says that buildings and facilities are also important.

And Tyreese wants to know what topics are offered and that “everyone can love and care for one another”.

The report card project has been led by Camden Learning, a partnership between local schools and councils, led by Dame Christine Gilbert, formerly an inspector of English principals, who ran Ofsted for five years until 2011.

He said the “big ideas” came from parents who wanted to give a real feel to the school, such as the importance of sports or a disciplined approach.

Dame Christine was “amazed by how well the ethos of the school has taken hold” and how strong the personal reaction has been from parents who have tried to leave.

In “Our School in 100 Words”, one of the high schools says that it is a feminist. And when it was shown to a focus group, one parent said they “really want” their child to go there, while another “wouldn’t”.

Dame Christine said ministers and Ofsted should learn from the Camden project, as well as similar work in Sheffield and Milton Keynes.

“It is very important to listen to the voice of parents,” he told me, “and here in a very cheap way, parents will have more information.”

A public consultation on Ofsted report cards will start early next year.

The leak which revealed it would rank schools in 10 regions has proved controversial with education unions.

The big difference with Camden’s approach is that it is created together with schools, so they can talk about their strengths and weaknesses.

But it raises the question of whether the Camden report will challenge schools enough to improve.

Regent High School principal Gary Moore, who has fielded questions from parents on opening day this term, said supervision played an important role but welcomed the scrapping of the “brutal” one-word overall judgment from Ofsted.

More broadly, the report card approach is an improvement on Ofsted’s reports which were “quite dry” and often not “written in family-friendly language”, Mr Moore added.

Oak Gospel head teacher John Hayes said he wanted to collaborate on something “more authentic, more useful for parents” while also admitting “as public servants with an incredibly important job, we have to be considered”.

Camden plans to continue including Ofsted courts in the new national report card from next year. Sheffield will publish a report on its work so far in the coming weeks.