Ofsted faces fresh calls to halt graded school inspections in England

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.

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.

An independent report, commissioned by Ofsted to evaluate its new framework, 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 nearly half (48%) of school leaders who responded to its survey said their staff's mental wellbeing had been negatively affected "a fair amount" or "a lot" by a recent inspection.

The interim report was based on focus groups and nearly 700 responses from school, college and early years leaders who were invited to complete a survey following inspections this year. A full report is due to be published next year.

Sir Martyn said: "The data published today shows that we are on the right track.

"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 DfE said "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".