School Leaders Revolt Is Putting Classroom Inspections In Crisis

School leaders in England are revolting over an inspection system that has been branded “out of touch” and “unreliable”.

Teaching unions have called for a temporary halt to school inspections on the grounds they cause excessive stress to school leaders and staff, with some principals threatening to withhold permission for inspectors to enter their schools.

Ofsted, the body responsible for school inspections in England, grades schools into one of four categories, ranging from Outstanding to Inadequate, aiming to give both accountability and information for parents.

Critics have long argued that the grading system is both unfair and punitive – an Inadequate rating often prompts a change of leadership – and is often more reflective of a school’s intake than the quality of education it provides.

The opposition Labour Party has pledged to replace it with a report card conveying more information to parents, should it form a government after the next election.

But while resentment among the teaching profession towards Ofsted has been simmering for some time, it has been brought to a head by the suicide of a school leader following an inspection.

Ruth Perry took her own life while waiting for the publication of a report which downgraded the school she led from Outstanding to Inadequate.

Her family are clear that it was the pressure from the inspection and the subsequent judgement that led to Mrs Perry’s suicide.

Following her death, the National Association of Head Teachers, which represents many leaders in primary schools, called for a pause in school inspections.

“It is clear that school leaders up and down the country are placed under intolerable pressure by the current approach,” said Paul Whiteman, its general secretary.

“It cannot be right that we treat dedicated professionals in this way. Something has to change. Whilst it should never take a tragedy like this to prompt action, this has to be a watershed moment.”

This was echoed by Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represent many leaders in secondary schools and further education colleges.

He called on Ofsted to undertake an immediate review of the impact of inspections on the well-being of school leaders and staff.

“The inspectorate must also commit to giving urgent consideration to reform of the inspection system to make it fairer and less punitive,” he said.

“In particular, it must look at replacing the current system of graded judgements which reduce everything that a school or college does to a single blunt descriptor. These judgements do not do justice to schools and colleges, and negative outcomes are devastating to leaders, staff and communities.”

Disquiet over Ofsted led one headteacher to take to Twitter saying she was going to refuse inspectors entry when they turned up at her school this morning – a move supported by other school leaders – although the inspection went ahead following talks with the local authority.

But Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said it was “the height of insensitivity” to continue with inspections amid concerns over headteachers’ well-being.

“This is an agency that is completely out of touch, and which is making claims and judgments which are unreliable,” she said.

So far, Ofsted has declined to pause inspections, although Matthew Purves, its regional director for the south-east, said they were deeply saddened by Mrs Perry’s death.

The Government has also insisted that inspections are a legal requirement and should continue.

“Inspections are hugely important as they hold schools to account for their educational standards and parents greatly rely on the ratings to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child,” said a spokesman for the Department for Education.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, a former head of Ofsted, defended the agency and the grading system, which he claimed had helped raise standards and was preferred by parents.

“At the end of the day parents want to know, is this a school that’s good enough for my child to go to?” he said. “Ofsted has helped to raise standards over the last 30 years. We should be really proud of what has been achieved.”

But even before this week’s furore, momentum seemed to be shifting away from this conception of Ofsted’s role.

Amanda Spielman, Sir Michael’s successor as head of Ofsted, suggested last week that moving away from a grading system could be a “logical evolution” of how schools are judged.

But at a minimum, pressure is mounting on Ofsted to come up with an inspection regime which takes more account on the impact of its judgements on those who work in schools.