Ofsted has come under fire after admitting it does not track how many calls to a new helpline set up to support leaders are related to wellbeing. The watchdog introduced the service in December 2023, following the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry and a coroner’s ruling that an inspection had “contributed” to her death. The provider contact helpline (PCH) allows leaders to “ask questions or raise concerns informally”. While not solely for wellbeing, it is the main route for schools wishing to escalate concerns about teacher or leader wellbeing during an Ofsted inspection. Schools receive details of the helpline when they are notified of an inspection, and can use it to request a pause. 555 calls received in total But a freedom of information request by Schools Week shows that Ofsted does not record how many of the calls relate to wellbeing, nor any inspection outcomes following the calls. Union leaders have called for the watchdog to address this “at a matter of urgency”. Ofsted told Schools Week that 555 calls from schools had been logged by May 28, relating to 463 inspections. Schools Week asked how many related to wellbeing, who made them, and what outcomes followed. But Ofsted said it “do[es] not categorise whether a call raised a ‘wellbeing’ concern”. It said the helpline “is to handle and triage calls on a case-by-case basis rather than creating a dataset for analysis”. No ‘wider information’ Pepe Di’Iasio It recorded how calls were initially handled, but not “wider information about any inspection-related outcomes”, including whether an inspection was then paused. Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the lack of recording was “pretty incredible…given that this is such an important issue following the death of Ruth Perry.” He noted that Sinead Mc Brearty’s independent wellbeing impact assessment recommended Ofsted “develop[s] a clear protocol for responding to individuals in acute distress or at risk of suicide”. “It is surely then absolutely vital that the inspectorate collects data on how many calls it receives that raise wellbeing concerns. “We cannot understand why this is apparently not the case and would encourage Ofsted to address this issue as a matter of urgency.” Perry’s sister, Julia Waters, said: “A helpline was one of the few changes that Ofsted introduced, following my sister’s suicide, to address the coroner’s concerns. Julia Waters “It turns out that Ofsted has failed even to implement this change properly. “It is deeply worrying, if not surprising, that Ofsted is failing to record how many of the hundreds of callers to its helpline have expressed wellbeing concerns about inspections.” She described this as “either a cynical ploy…to ignore the scale of the problem, or rank incompetence”. Caroline Voaden, a Liberal MP and member of the education select committee, said the lack of monitoring created a blind spot “where those who require urgent support could be overlooked and the warning signs which could prevent a tragedy pass unseen”. Meanwhile Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said it was “reasonable” to expect Ofsted would collect, hold and scrutinise information from its helpline that would “provide insight into the evidenced threat to life and broader wellbeing impacts of inspections on headteachers, school leaders and their staff”. ‘What is the point?’ Headteacher John Hayes previously raised concerns about how calls regarding his own wellbeing were handled. “What is the point of having a helpline if it doesn’t trigger any meaningful action? “My deputy and governors made that call to protect my wellbeing, yet Ofsted openly admits it doesn’t even hold data linking these calls to whether an inspection is paused or deferred or enabling it to analyse the impact of inspection on staff wellbeing.” John Hayes Ofsted’s disclosure comes amid concerns about the impact of inspections on leader wellbeing. Waters recently told the education committee that she had heard from or about “at least 10 headteachers experiencing acute distress or suicidal ideation as a result of Ofsted inspections under the new framework”. The Ofsted Coalition also told the committee it remained concerned that there was “a very real risk” of further serious harm. In a recent survey, 70 per cent of 100 school and college leaders who had been inspected under the new framework expressed negative views on how it had affected their wellbeing. Meanwhile, Education Support, which runs its own helpline, said of 4,758 people it supported last financial year, more than 400 were clinically assessed as being at risk of suicide. These callers sought help for a range of issues, which were not specifically linked to inspections. However, a spokesperson said the charity “routinely” heard from headteachers “who report experiences of significant distress during and after inspection”. Ofsted has commissioned IFF Research to carry out an independent evaluation of the watchdog’s renewed inspection framework. Its report will be published next year. Proving ‘very beneficial’ An Ofsted spokesperson said the provider contact helpline was available to leaders in all settings inspected by Ofsted. “It gives an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns informally, from the time that we notify a provider of their inspection until the complaints window is closed.” They stressed it could be used to discuss inspection processes, outcomes and next steps. “It has been called hundreds of times since we set it up and is proving very beneficial at helping resolve concerns and issues while the inspection is ongoing,” said the spokesperson. “With every call to the PCH our priority is to ensure the matter is dealt with sensitively and effectively, whether it is about wellbeing concerns or anything else. “Every issue is handled individually and the appropriate action is taken to resolve it.” 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.