Ofsted’s new proposals rejected by school leaders within 48 hours

More than 3,000 school leaders have overwhelmingly rejected Ofsted’s recently announced proposals on changes to school inspection, following a snap poll.

Conducted by the school leaders’ union NAHT, the poll found that 92 per cent of school leaders disagreed with the proposal to introduce a five-point graded judgements across eight to 10 different areas. It also recorded more than 1,900 individual free text comments citing concerns (totalling more than 100 pages) in under 48 hours.

NAHT has expressed concerns that reductive scorecards repeat the worst aspects of the current system and will drive huge new and unnecessary workload, piling more pressure onto already overstretched school leaders.

Almost all (96 per cent) leaders do not think that Ofsted will make meaningful changes in response to the views shared by the profession during the consultation launched earlier this week.

Responding to the survey, school leaders shared their concerns anonymously with NAHT, citing fears that the new inspection model could increase already excessive workload and damage staff wellbeing. Schools are facing the worst recruitment and retention crisis in living memory.

One leader said: “They have done incredibly well to make a stressful and blunt approach to school inspection even more stressful and blunt. It will increase inconsistency, drive up workload and create exponentially more stress on headteachers and leaders. It has been done with haste, has not taken sufficient voice from the profession and, along with other changes is being rushed through, will be disastrous.”

Another said: “I cannot see how this new inspection model will have any positive impact on schools and especially the pressure faced by leaders. Feels like lengthening the stick to beat us with.”

Another leader added: “When will the focus be on mutual support, positive criticism rather than stark judgements that affect the wellbeing of all giving their lives to this profession?”

NAHT has repeatedly warned that the new framework is being rushed, with Ofsted aiming to introduce the proposed changes by autumn 2025. NAHT is also deeply concerned that the use of open-ended consultation questions will mean Ofsted does not have the clear quantitative data it needs to fully understand whether or not there is support for this new approach. 

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union, the NAHT said: “School leaders are ambitious about standards, but these proposals will increase the workload of teachers, driving them away from the classroom.

“When these proposals were leaked at the end of last year, we warned that they would not work. Rather than rethinking the plans, Ofsted is pressing ahead with a model that has attracted almost universal criticism.

“Ofsted needs to go back to the drawing board, urgently reconsider these ill-thought-through plans, and listen to the profession.”