England's biggest school leaders' union has called for a halt to graded Ofsted inspections, saying they could pose a "risk to life" for school staff. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the change to inspections, rolled out nationally just under a year ago, had been severely harmful to school leaders' welfare. It said schools should instead be rated using short narrative reports that set out their strengths and areas they could improve.
Ofsted said it had worked closely with unions and parents to develop the new report card inspection system, and would continue to grade schools. Ofsted, 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 for the whole school. But the new system faced criticism from when it was first proposed, with Perry's sister, Prof Julia Waters, saying it appeared to be "a rehash of the discredited and dangerous system it is meant to replace". The NAHT issued a claim with the High Court for a judicial review over the changes, arguing there had not been adequate consultation on the new report cards before they were introduced, but that was rejected.
Nearly a year after it was fully rolled out, the NAHT says evidence from its members suggests the new system is having a detrimental impact on school leaders' mental health. Testimonies seen by the BBC suggest head teachers are being left "overwhelmed" and "anxious", with the pressure caused by the inspections described as "intolerable". Although the system had been changed with the intention of lowering the burden on school leaders, the testimonies say the inspection and assessment process had become "higher stakes than ever before".
Amanda Hulme, head teacher at Claypool Primary School in Bolton, said a recent inspection at her school had been "easily the most stressful experience" of her career. "It was definitely damaging to my health and really quite distressing," she said. "I couldn't sleep and it led to my blood pressure and pulse rate increasing.
"The effect on my team has also been significant, with some colleagues no longer wanting to pursue headship, and another teacher considering leaving the profession entirely." The NAHT says it has shared examples with Education Secretary Lucy Powell of some of the "damaging experiences" it says its members have faced. Speaking to LBC earlier this month, Powell said she took head teacher wellbeing "incredibly seriously" and that the system of accountability needed to be "supportive and understanding. "I'll continue the work that I do with head teachers, head teacher representatives and others to make sure that we get this Ofsted framework, but also the culture and the whole regime, right," she added.
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