Union tells school leaders to demand Ofsted risk assessment

School leaders have been told by a union to demand a full risk assessment from their employer over the “very real dangers to staff wellbeing” of new Ofsted inspections.

Leaders’ union NAHT has called for members to write to their employers – which include local authorities, academy trusts, and governing bodies – asking “what they will do to protect and support” teachers and leaders.

It marks a step change in the union’s opposition to Ofsted. NAHT has lambasted Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, which is being rolled out on November 10. Using new “report cards”, inspectors will grade schools across seven core evaluation areas using a five-point scale.

NAHT accuses Ofsted of failing to heed an independent wellbeing impact assessment commissioned by the inspectorate, which found the new report cards will increase stress and workload for school staff.

“We are now asking our members to write to their employer, requesting that they explain what they will do to protect and support school leaders and their teams,” says NAHT.

“This is not simply about workload or stress management,” it says. “It is about preventing avoidable harm – including the most serious outcomes – arising from a flawed inspection system.

“We expect you to stand with us in demanding that staff wellbeing is not sacrificed to Ofsted’s high-stakes agenda.”

Schools Week understands at least two local authorities have already received letters from leaders.

Steve Rollet, deputy chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the employer body for academy school trusts, said it is “seeking expert HR and employment advice” in response to NAHT’s guidance to members.

“Our view is that the trust is a protective structure; trust leaders can and do support school leaders through Ofsted inspections,” he said.

Calls for risk assessment

The NAHT letter calls on employers to “undertake a full risk assessment” of the impact the new Ofsted inspections will have on school staff.

It also urges them to create and share “a clear plan to mitigate the risks to staff wellbeing” and “maintain open dialogue with staff” about how it will “protect” their welfare during inspections.

The letter highlights “stark” findings made by the Ofsted-commissioned wellbeing review led by Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of mental health and wellbeing charity Education Support.

Staff wellbeing is key to the Ofsted reforms – which were triggered by the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

McBrearty’s report warned the “baseline stress level” of school leaders is “concerningly high”, and the revised framework “does not reduce the pressure…to achieve a desirable outcome”.

It warned that under new report card inspections, “the consequence of not meeting the expected standards…will remain high stakes in nature”.

It laid out a string of recommendations, some of which have since been addressed by Ofsted.

The NAHT letter says it is “deeply troubling that Ofsted has pressed ahead with these reforms despite clear evidence of the damage inspections already cause”.

It says Ofsted’s approach “prioritises high-stakes accountability over staff well-being, ignoring repeated warnings from the profession, trade unions and [the report]”.

Union considering ballot

The call to action by NAHT marks a ramping-up of its concerns about the Ofsted reforms. The union is currently mulling whether to ballot its members for industrial action.

At an online meeting on September 16 attended by almost 2,000 NAHT members, 89 per cent of those present at the meeting said they would support exploring industrial options.

The NAHT’s ruling executive committee was due to consider whether to formally ballot members.

General secretary Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, said at the time: “We heard loud and clear that these plans simply do not have the support of the profession and should not go ahead in their current state.

“Rolling them out would pose clear risks to the health and wellbeing of school leaders and teachers.”

Ofsted declined to comment.