The survey, carried out by YouGov and published today, also found that 6 in 10 parents feel Ofsted is a force for improvement and a trusted judge of standards. Ofsted reports and the views of other parents are the 2 main sources that parents use when choosing a childcare provider, school or college for their child.

Read the 2018 Annual Parents Survey.

In conjunction with the survey, Ofsted has published a new report considering the criticisms and advantages of the grading system. It concludes that the current 4-point grading system will be retained, as Ofsted prepares to launch a new inspection framework, to come into effect in September.

Ofsted currently awards schools, colleges, further education and skills providers, and early years settings with an overall judgement of either outstanding, good, requires improvement, or inadequate.

‘Retaining the current grading system in education: some arguments and evidence’ argues that these inspection judgements provide parents with a useful headline indicator of provider quality, which is different from, but complements performance data.

The report lists a range of evidence on the high degree of public trust in Ofsted’s work that suggests that the current system is working for parents. It is also used as a trigger for intervention in schools by regional schools commissioners, local authorities, academy trust leaders and governors, when a school is judged as ‘inadequate’ overall.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:

Choosing the right childcare provider, school or college for your child is one of the most important decisions a parent will make. Parents use our reports to help them make that choice and to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their child’s school. The grades are a reliable measure of quality. They are simple, they are well understood and they work for parents.

The 4-point scale was developed by Ofsted and has since been adopted as best practice across public sector inspectorates.

The current grading system

Under the current inspection framework, inspectors make graded judgements on the following areas:

• effectiveness of leadership and management
• quality of teaching, learning and assessment
• personal development, behaviour and welfare
• outcomes for pupils

In each area, schools are graded on a 4-point scale:

• grade 1 (outstanding)
• grade 2 (good)
• grade 3 (requires improvement)
• grade 4 (inadequate)

They also receive an overall effectiveness grade using the same 4-point scale.

About Ofsted’s 2018 parents survey

This online survey was developed together with Ofsted and carried out amongst parents between 23 November and 28 November 2018.

The total number of respondents was 1,111 parents: 1,000 with a school-aged child and 111 with a pre-school-aged child attending childcare.

The figures have been weighted and are representative of all parents in England by family type, age of family reference person, social grade and region.

Thank you Mr President. And let me start by congratulating Prime Minister Netanyahu on being asked to form a new Israeli Government and Prime Minister Shtayyeh on the formation of the new Palestinian Authority Government. The United Kingdom looks forward to working with both of your administrations to advance the objectives of peace and prosperity. Thank you also to our civil society briefers.

Mr President, as with other governments, the United Kingdom continues to encourage a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Our understanding, this is shared by most Council Members, continues to be that a sustainable peace requires a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps; Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states; and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees. It will take the support of the whole international community to make such a historic peace possible.

Mr President, I understand that the Balfour Declaration was raised. So allow me to set out the UK Government’s position. The Balfour Declaration was written in the midst of the First World War; the 100th anniversary of the declaration was two years ago in 2017. It was a product of its time. We understand and we respect the sensitivities about the Balfour Declaration and the events that have taken place in the region since 1917. We are committed, as I’ve just said, to establishing security and justice for Israeli and Palestinians through a lasting peace. So just as we fully support and we are proud of our role in the creation of the modern State of Israel as a Jewish homeland, so we fully support the objective of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

Mr President, there are two halves of Balfour: the second half of which has not been fulfilled. The occupation is a continuing impediment to securing the political rights of the non-Jewish communities in Palestine that the Balfour Declaration also envisaged. To that extent, Mr President, it remains unfinished business.

But I want to today, Mr President, join others who are calling for us to look forwards, not backwards. We urge the new Israeli and Palestinian Governments to seize the opportunity to reverse the current destructive dynamic, to improve the immediate situation on the ground, and to strive to create the conditions conducive to negotiating a lasting peace. This should begin without delay, with renewed, direct dialogue in order to find a solution to the current revenue transfer crisis.

Mr President, the goal of a two-state solution is at stake. The current impasse on the transfer of clearance revenues poses a risk to stability and it threatens the viability of a future Palestinian State. The United Kingdom firmly believes that prosperity and strong Palestinian institutions serves Israel’s long-term security interest. We encourage the Israeli government to reverse its decision to withhold revenues, which undermines the Oslo Accords, as other speakers have made clear. And we encourage the Palestinian Authority to accept the remainder of the revenues on a provisional basis, as refusing all revenues will only harm Palestinians.

The advancement of yet more illegal settlements is eroding the physical viability of the two-state solution. We condemn the announcement on 4 April by the Israeli authorities to advance plans for over 4,600 settlement units across the West Bank – as many have noted, the single largest settlement announcement in recent years. We are also deeply concerned by pre-election comments made by Prime Minister Netanyahu in support of the possible annexation of at least some parts of the West Bank. Such a move would be contrary to international law and destructive to peace efforts.

Mr President, the current destructive dynamic between the parties does nothing to quell the incidences of violence that we continue to witness, which risks hardening extremist positions on both sides. We condemn, in the strongest terms, without equivocation, the terrorism of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Settler violence also needs to be condemned wholeheartedly and the Israeli authorities have a responsibility to provide appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Mr President, we are second to none in recognising Israel’s legitimate need to provide security but we continue to have concerns about excessive use of force by the IDF. Measures used must be appropriate and in line with international law. Accountability must be sought through swift, transparent investigations.

Mr President, the new Israeli and Palestinian Governments have the ability to lead their people to a better future free from violence. Leaders can either seize the opportunity to move forward and create a new dynamic, or they could continue with short-termism and self-interest, which will only lead to further deterioration for their people. At this holy time of year, following Pesach and before the start of Ramadan, we urge them to use their new mandates to pursue a lasting legacy of peace.

It is up to us in this Council, and the wider international community, to support the parties in these efforts, towards a just and lasting resolution.

As Birmingham gears up for the arrival of HS2, Britain’s brand new railway which will transform the UK economy, thousands of jobs are being created up and down the country.

Sitting at the heart of the new network, the West Midlands is already feeling the benefits of HS2, and that trend is set to continue as major construction begins later this year.

30,000 people will play a role in designing and delivering the new backbone to Britain’s railway, and HS2 is eager to ensure that local people, under-represented and disadvantaged groups are amongst them.

Kate Myers, HS2 Ltd’s Head of Skills, Employment and Education, said:

This is a fantastic opportunity for women in the region to find out more about HS2 and the role that they can play in transforming our railways and the UK economy.

HS2 opens up career opportunities in so many fields and this is a great way to find out about the jobs coming up. 7,000 people have already played a role in delivering HS2 and we want to see more women in the 30,000 roles the project will support.

The programme has been designed in partnership with Women into Construction, HS2 Ltd, South and City College, West Midlands Combined Authority and Birmingham City Council. It comprises a 2 week employability course, which will include the opportunity for applicants to gain their CSCS card, followed by a 4 week work experience placement at one of a number of HS2’s supply chain companies, in addition to opportunities for placements at HS2 Ltd.

Work experience placements will be offered in a variety of roles including ecology, civil engineering, design and archaeology with West Midlands based companies including LMJV, BBV, WSP, Eiffage Kier and Fusion.

Kath Moore, Managing Director at Women into Construction, said:

We are delighted to be working with HS2 to enable women to access work-placements and potentially kick start their careers on this exciting project.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Mark Field, co-chaired the 15th Oman Joint Working Group on 25 April 2019 at Lancaster House with His Excellency Sayyid Badr Hamed Al Busaidi, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This was a key meeting to both highlight and strengthen the excellent bilateral ties between the UK and Oman. It follows the Foreign Secretary’s recent visit to Oman where both Foreign Ministers signed the Comprehensive Joint Declaration on Enduring Friendship. As a longstanding friend of Oman, Sir Alan Duncan, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, also joined the meeting and chaired several sessions.

With wide representation from across Whitehall, discussion covered many topics, including foreign policy, defence, the economy, tourism, education and health, as well as the Comprehensive and Joint Defence Agreements.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Field noted:

These Working Groups are always important occasions to reflect on our cooperation and discuss issues of common interest. This one took place at a particularly significant moment, coming hot on the heels of the signature of the Joint Defence Agreement between Defence Ministers, which in turn followed the hugely successful Saif Sareea 3, our biggest ever bilateral military exercise.

Both were vivid demonstrations of our commitment to mutual security and the incredible warmth and closeness of our bilateral relationship. In that context, the Joint Working Group was particularly significant, because it helped strengthen that relationship even further and paves the way for implementing the spirit of the Comprehensive Joint Declaration on Enduring Friendship.

The Policing Minister today chaired the first meeting of a new taskforce that will drive work to tackle residential burglary.

The taskforce brings together the police, industry leads, charities such as Crimestoppers and Victim Support and the government to look at what more can be done to combat these crimes and to agree actions.

Themes include making homes more secure, preventing criminals from selling on stolen goods, and improving the wider police and criminal justice system response.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd said:

Being burgled doesn’t just mean the loss of valuable and sentimental items – it also makes us feel less safe in our homes and has a damaging effect on communities.

I’m pleased that burglary levels have fallen significantly in recent years, but with hundreds of thousands of people suffering this intrusive crime every year, more needs to be done to combat it.

It’s vital that we work with partners, policy and industry on this.

Police recorded crime statistics for England and Wales published by the Home Office last week showed that burglary dropped by 3% compared with the previous year, and by 20% compared with the year to June 2010.

Earlier this month, the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, called for government and industry to work together to design products and buildings so that such crimes are more difficult to commit.

In January, the Policing Minister chaired the first meeting of the vehicle theft taskforce, bringing together industry and police to strengthen the response to this type of crime. Moped crime has already been cut dramatically thanks to the introduction of new anti-theft devices, along with tough law enforcement.

Deputy Chief Constable Chris Rowley, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for burglary, said:

Police officers know how distressing a burglary is for victims and are totally committed to tackling these crimes.

The burglary taskforce will help us bring everyone involved to the table so we can continue to work together to prevent burglary – and when it does take place, to bring offenders to justice.

At the first meeting, the taskforce discussed the scale of the threat and methods that can help reduce burglary. It will meet every 6 months.