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 BBC reported. The Association of School and College Leaders also raised the prospect of strike action, calling a new grading system an "overbearing mess." On Friday, Ofsted's chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said an independent survey of education providers showed the inspectorate was "on the right track." The Department for Education 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 follows a similar call from the National Association of Head Teachers, which said changes Ofsted made to inspections just under a year ago had been severely harmful to school leaders' welfare. ASCL passed a motion of no confidence in "the ability of Ofsted's leadership to address the damage being done by the new inspection system." Pepe Di'Iasio, the union's general secretary, said 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 union called on the government to pause inspections and review the system, and said it would survey members on an informal ballot for industrial action if nothing changed. Ofsted said it had "worked hard to reduce the pressure of inspection in recent years, but we know workload and wellbeing remain a challenge."
England's inspectorate introduced a report-card system last November to replace one- or two-word judgements, after the death of head teacher Ruth Perry. An inquest ruled that an Ofsted inspection contributed to her death in January 2023, following a downgrade of her school from "outstanding" to "inadequate." The report cards were designed to grade schools on several areas rather than one overall grade. Last month, the NAHT said testimonies from members suggested some leaders had faced "intolerable" pressure under the new inspections, and warned the system could pose a "risk to life" if changes were not made.
An independent report commissioned by Ofsted, based on focus groups and nearly 700 responses, concluded this week that leaders were "generally positive" about their inspection experience and that it was "more collaborative and accounts for context better than previous inspections." But it also said 48% of school leaders who responded found their staff's mental wellbeing had been negatively affected "a fair amount" or "a lot" by a recent inspection. A full report is due next year. Sir Martyn said the data showed Ofsted was "on the right track," while acknowledging that workload and wellbeing remain challenging. The verified dispute is between unions demanding a pause and an inspectorate pointing to mixed but, in its view, encouraging survey results.