Contending with potential lawsuits over prospects to revamp school assessment methods.
Rantin' About the Rubbish Reforms: NAHT vs. Ofsted
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) is giving England's education watchdog, Ofsted, a well-deserved lashing over their proposed changes to school inspections. They're claiming the changes will crank up the pressure on school leaders, potentially ruin mental health, and are a watered-down version of the existing flawed system.
Last year, they announced a magical sounding solution—one-word inspections would be shuffled off like an unwanted party guest, replaced with report cards grading schools across 8-10 areas. Each grade would be slapped with a color-coded label on a five-point scale—from red ("causing concern") to dark green ("exemplary").
But the union can't contain their apprehension that this will just fuel the never-ending pressure teetering on headteachers' shoulders. At their annual conference today, they'll be voting on a motion to give the new system the middle finger and explore "every legal and industrial option" to protect the mental and physical health of school leaders and staff.
If the motion passes, the battle will heat up between NAHT and Ofsted. Changes to the inspection process were cooked up following the tragic death of Ruth Perry, a headteacher in Reading, after an Ofsted report downgraded Caversham Primary from outstanding to inadequate.
This week, Perry's sister, Julia Waters, signed an open letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, urging a delay to the reforms: "This new system, proposed for itself by Ofsted, could be worse than the flawed and dangerous process it replaces."
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman has apologetically admitted that the health and wellbeing of staff has been ignored during the consultation process. He let fly a warning shot: "School leaders are freaking out that the new report cards could lead to an even crappier system than before, with a potential disaster impact on workload, wellbeing, and retention."
An Ofsted spokeswoman fired back: "Respecting the mental health of those we inspect is a crucial part of developing our proposals, and our legal team are ready to square off. The NAHT's suggested claims are a pack of lies. If legal action is launched, we'll block it and seek compensation."
More on Education
- Can't Cope, Won't Cope: Two-Thirds of School Leaders Report Harmful Mental Health Impacts, says survey
- Psycho Sprinter: Schoolgirl Sentenced for Trying to Off-Head Teachers and Fellow Students
- Caught in the Crossfire: Ruth Perry's Sister Joins Anti-Ofsted Reforms Crusade
Education Topics
- Education
- Ruth Perry
Perry took her own life in 2023 after an Ofsted report downgraded Caversham Primary from outstanding to inadequate. Don't forget to download our website app for lightning-fast, breaking education news.
- The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) raised concerns that the proposed changes to school inspections by Ofsted may exacerbate the pressure on school leaders, potentially worsening their mental health and well-being.
- The new inspection system, if implemented, would replace one-word inspections with report cards grading schools based on multiple areas, each labeled with a color-coded rating on a five-point scale.
- The meaning behind these color-coded labels ranges from "causing concern" (red) to "exemplary" (dark green).
- In an open letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Julia Waters, the sister of late headteacher Ruth Perry, called for a delay in the reforms, stating that the new system could potentially be worse than the existing flawed process.
