Second School Leaders' Union Demands Pause to Ofsted Inspections in England

Union Demands Pause

A second head teachers' union in England has demanded an immediate halt to graded Ofsted inspections, citing serious concerns over member welfare and morale. The Association of School and College Leaders, known as ASCL, passed a motion of no confidence in Ofsted's leadership, calling the current inspection system an overbearing mess and warning of potential strike action. ASCL general secretary Pepe Di'Iasio stated that negotiations had hit a brick wall and that warm words from the inspectorate had not been matched by necessary action. The union announced it would survey members on holding an informal ballot for industrial action if changes are not made. This follows a similar warning from the National Association of Head Teachers last month, which described inspection pressures as intolerable and warned of risks to life.

Official Responses

In response, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver pointed to an independent survey showing the agency was on the right track with inspections, while acknowledging that workload and wellbeing remain challenging. The interim report, based on nearly 700 responses, found that while leaders were generally positive about a more collaborative approach, 48 percent of surveyed school leaders reported their staff's mental wellbeing was negatively affected by recent inspections. The Department for Education stated that ministers are working with Ofsted and school leaders to ensure accountability is fair and focused on helping schools improve, while maintaining that inspection remains vital.

Context

School inspections in England have faced intense scrutiny following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, whose school was downgraded from outstanding to inadequate. An inquest ruled that the inspection contributed to her death in January 2023, prompting Ofsted to introduce a report card system designed to grade schools across multiple areas rather than using a single overall judgment.