SINGLE-headline Ofsted grades for schools will be scrapped with immediate effect, the government has announced.

Previously, Ofsted awarded headline grades of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate to schools it inspects.

For inspections this academic year, parents will see four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management, the Department for Education said.

The announcement comes as pupils return to the classroom this week.

It is understood the removal of single-headline grades for other settings inspected by Ofsted will follow.

The announcement follows the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her school rating.

Teaching unions welcomed the changes, with NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman saying the government should have “gone further by also removing sub-judgements from inspections.”

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “While today’s announcements are an important step in the right direction, it remains the case that in the absence of root-and-branch reform to fix the foundations of the broken accountability system, teachers and school leaders will continue to work in a system that remains flawed.”