Ofsted confirms the end of lesson observations

Ofsted axed individual lesson grades in schools last year but continued to use them in further education, despite protests from staff led by UCU. 

UCU said it was pleased the watchdog had got rid of a form of assessment it described as lazy and unimaginative, which piled pressure on staff.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'UCU is pleased that Ofsted has got rid of graded lesson observations. We have been arguing for some time that graded lesson observations were box-ticking exercises that piled pressure on staff and represented the laziest and least imaginative way of assessing someone.'