A school leaders’ union has called for Ofsted inspections to be halted amid wellbeing concerns, as it warned of a possible “risk to life”. National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) general secretary Paul Whiteman said school leaders were finding the new inspection framework introduced last September “more stressful than the one that preceded it”. He warned it “poses a real and present danger” to teacher and leader wellbeing, and “possibly even a risk to life”. It comes as nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of NAHT members said they felt the direction of travel on inspection had worsened in the last 12 months. ‘Worse than before’ In a survey of more than 5,000 NAHT members in June, one-third said the direction had “greatly worsened” 39 per cent said it had “worsened”. Meanwhile 22 per cent said there had been “no significant change”, and just 7 per cent said it had improved. NAHT is calling for the government to halt graded inspections “to allow for a fundamental review of how inspection works”. Paul Whiteman It today launched a “We Demand Better” campaign, calling for government action on inspection, as well as funding, workload, recognition and pay. It urged ministers to ask Ofsted to review the “high-stakes, low-trust” inspection framework, and replace grades with “a short narrative report setting out schools’ strengths and areas for development”. NAHT said a pause would give government time and space to devise a new approach to inspection that is “fair, effective and supports school improvement – working in genuine collaboration with the profession”. Grading to continue Ofsted has said it will not be pausing inspections. A spokesperson said: “Ofsted exists to raise standards for children and to provide clear reporting to parents. “Over the last three years, we have worked closely with teaching unions to deliver significant reforms to how Ofsted inspections work, to reduce unnecessary pressure on teachers. And we involved parents to make sure our new-look inspection reports worked for them – presenting clear, colour-coded grades and detailed information about the school. “We will continue to engage closely with trades unions – but we will also continue to grade schools.” ‘Danger to wellbeing’ Ofsted abolished single-phrase headline grades in September 2024. It was one of a number of reforms prompted by the death of Caversham Primary School headteacher Ruth Perry. A coroner ruled in 2023 that an Ofsted inspection had contributed to her death. Last September, it further overhauled its grading system when it introduced new “report card” inspections. Schools are now graded using a five-point scale, across a minimum of six areas. For each area, schools receive a grade and a short narrative comment. But leaders inspected under the new framework have repeatedly reported that while the process feels more “collaborative”, it also brings more pressure. Whiteman said there was a “clear theme emerging” across feedback from leaders “that this Ofsted framework is even more stressful than the one that preceded it”. “It poses a real and present danger to the well-being and mental health of school leaders and teachers, possibly even a risk to life,” he said. Perry’s sister, Julia Waters, recently said she had heard from 12 headteachers who were left suicidal following new-style inspections. Inspections ‘even more stressful’ Addressing this on LBC earlier this month, education secretary Lucy Powell said she “take[s] incredibly seriously teacher, headteacher wellbeing”. She said she wants a school accountability system “that is much more…supportive and understanding of the great jobs that…almost all headteachers are doing”. She said she would work “to make sure that we get this Ofsted framework, but also the culture, and the whole regime, right”. Whiteman said the NAHT “warmly welcome[s]” Powell’s commitment. “A system which leaves leaders and their teams feeling so anxious, overwhelmed and demoralised both before and after inspections isn’t just bad for their health – it cannot be conducive to ensuring children receive the first-rate education they deserve,” he said. “Really fundamental changes to inspection are needed…In the meantime, there remains a risk to the safety of school leaders, which is why we are calling for graded inspections to be halted.” ‘Inspection really quite distressing’ NAHT said it heard from leaders that questions about wellbeing during inspections were “perfunctory”, and that they reported a “reluctance from inspectors to consider positive evidence which might challenge their emerging conclusions”. Meanwhile, many criticised the “rigid” secure fit approach to grading. Amanda Hulme, head teacher of Claypool Primary School in Bolton, said her inspection in February was the most stressful experience of her career. “It was definitely damaging to my health and really quite distressing,” she said, in a quote shared by NAHT. “I couldn’t sleep and it led to my blood pressure and pulse rate increasing. “Much of what we do as a school simply did not ‘count’ within the framework, regardless of its impact or quality.” She said she may decide to retire early, before her school’s next inspection. “I’m just not sure I could face going through that again.” Ofsted has commissioned its own independent evaluation of the new framework, which is being carried out by IFF Research. An interim report is due this autumn. Samaritans are available 365 days a year. You can reach them on free call number 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org. Education Support’s free emotional support helpline is available here.