A second heads’ union has demanded a halt to graded Ofsted inspections in England, warning that members’ welfare and morale are deteriorating.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) passed a motion of no confidence in the ability of Ofsted’s leadership to address what it described as damage caused by the new inspection system. The union said it was “increasingly concerned about the welfare and morale of members”.
ASCL also raised the possibility of strike action, saying it would survey members on holding an informal ballot on industrial action if no changes were made. It called on the government to pause inspections and review the system.
Pepe Di’Iasio, the union’s general secretary, said the step had not been taken “lightly”. He 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 current system is not fit for purpose. It is an overbearing mess and urgently needs to be reviewed,” he said.
The announcement follows a similar call from the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), which said changes introduced by Ofsted just under a year ago had seriously harmed school leaders’ welfare.
Last month, the NAHT said testimonies from members, seen by the BBC, indicated some leaders had faced “intolerable” pressure under the new inspections, leaving them “overwhelmed” and “anxious”. It warned the system could pose a “risk to life” without changes.
Ofsted said it had “worked hard to reduce the pressure of inspection in recent years, but we know workload and wellbeing remain a challenge”. A spokesperson added: “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.”
On Friday, chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver pointed to an independent survey of education providers as evidence that the inspectorate was “on the right track”.
“The data published today shows that we are on the right track,” he said. “I know that workload and wellbeing in education continue to be challenging, and I don’t take that lightly. We will keep listening to feedback from professionals and parents alike as we continue to improve what we do.”
The interim report, commissioned by Ofsted to evaluate its new framework, found leaders were “generally positive” about their inspection experience and that it was “more collaborative and accounts for context better than previous inspections”.
It also found that nearly half (48%) of school leaders who responded said their staff’s mental wellbeing had been negatively affected “a fair amount” or “a lot” by a recent inspection. The findings were drawn from focus groups and close to 700 responses from school, college and early years leaders invited to complete a survey after inspections this year. A full report is due next year.
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”.
It added that “inspection and accountability are vital, but they must reflect the reality of what is happening in schools, recognise the context they are working in, and support improvement rather than add to the pressures they already face”.
England’s schools inspectorate introduced report cards last November to replace one or two-word overall judgements. The change followed the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life after Ofsted downgraded her school from “outstanding” to “inadequate”. An inquest in January 2023 ruled that an Ofsted inspection had contributed to her death.
The report card system grades schools across several areas rather than issuing a single overall grade.
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