Teaching unions call for ofsted reform

Teaching unions have continued to call for “root and branch” reform of the Ofsted school inspection body. This follows responses by Ofsted and education secretary Gillian Keegan to a report on the prevention of future deaths following primary head teacher Ruth Perry’s inquest.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said nothing announced would change the basic problem that “Ofsted is doing more harm than good” with “interrogation and confrontation” built into the system.

A snapshot poll of more than 4,500 NEU members found inadequate safeguarding of students and staff during inspections, cases of staff and students being reduced to tears, and inspections provoking panic attacks and even complications with pregnancies.

“For too long teachers and headteachers have suffered under the tyranny of a flawed and egregious inspection and accountability regime,” said NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach.

Responding to a recommendation from the cross-party House of Commons education select committee that the use of single-word gradings should be abandoned, he said: “The current system of grading schools is not only damaging to the health, wellbeing and morale of teachers and headteachers; it also does nothing to raise educational standards.”

The NAHT school leaders’ union called on Ofsted to adopt a model of ungraded inspections as a precursor to “a permanent end to single-word judgements”.