A second head teachers' union has called for a halt to graded Ofsted inspections in England, saying it is "increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale" of its members. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) also raised the prospect of potential strike action, saying a new grading system had become an "overbearing mess". On Friday, Ofsted's chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said an independent survey of education providers showed it was "on the right track" with inspections.
The Department for Education (DfE) said ministers were "working with Ofsted and school leaders to ensure accountability is fair, proportionate and focused on helping every school get better". ASCL's announcement comes after another union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said changes Ofsted made to inspections just under a year ago had been severely harmful to school leaders' welfare. ASCL said it had passed a motion of no confidence in "the ability of Ofsted's leadership to address the damage being done by the new inspection system", adding that it was "increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of members".
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary, said the union did not take the step "lightly", but added Ofsted's "warm words about recognising wellbeing pressures... have not been matched by the action necessary" and that "negotiation [had] hit a brick wall". "The current system is not fit for purpose. It is an overbearing mess and urgently needs to be reviewed," he said.
Why the shake-up of school inspections risks causing new problems What is Ofsted and how does the new school ratings system work? ASCL called on the government to pause inspections and review the system, and said it would survey members on whether to hold an informal ballot on industrial action if there was no change. In response, Ofsted said it had "worked hard to reduce the pressure of inspection in recent years, but we know workload and wellbeing remain a challenge".
"We are working with the Department for Education on this and we will keep listening to feedback from professionals as we continue to improve what we do," a spokesperson added. England's schools inspectorate introduced the report card system to replace its previous one or two-word judgements last November, following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after Ofsted downgraded her school from "outstanding" to "inadequate". An inquest ruled that an Ofsted inspection had contributed to her death in January 2023.
That led to a change in how Ofsted assessed schools, bringing in report cards designed to grade schools on several areas, rather than focusing on one overall grade. Last month, the NAHT said testimonies from its members, seen by the BBC, suggested some school leaders had faced "intolerable" pressure because of the new inspections, leaving them "overwhelmed" and "anxious". It warned the system could pose a "risk to life" if changes were not forthcoming.
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