Wellbeing and Ofsted complaints

Action to support educators’ wellbeing

As a result of our members’ tireless campaigning, Ofsted has introduced the following:

  • New arrangements for pre-inspection phone calls - schools will be notified of inspection from 9.30 am on a Monday, with inspections starting the following day, rather than waiting until Wednesday afternoon for notification of an inspection that week – a welcome step forward in alleviating pressure and anxiety.
  • A new national team for inspectors and schools to help with any wellbeing concerns during inspection. 
  • New guidance to allow inspectors to pause an inspection, including where they have concerns about the wellbeing of a leader or staff member. Pausing an inspection refers to when an inspection or visit that has already started is paused (and so inspectors will leave if they are on site) and will resume at a date or time beyond the originally scheduled inspection days.
  • Deferring an inspection – in a certain, limited number of circumstances.
  • Removal of ‘deep dives’ which will take the pressure off middle leaders.
  • A shorter inspection day which will give leadership teams more time to prepare for the following day.
  • Suspend and return – Ofsted’s ‘suspend and return’ policy allows inspectors to withhold judgement on an inspection if there are safeguarding concerns, but the school is performing well in all other areas. This policy is intended to give schools time to resolve the issues before the inspection is completed – and prevent schools getting an unfair inspection outcome.
  • Mental health training for inspectors.

Ofsted has also committed to setting up an ‘inspection welfare, support and guidance hub’. This will offer inspectors and schools information and other support during inspections.

What to do if your mental health is affected by an inspection

The NEU urges any members of staff whose mental health and wellbeing is deteriorating before, during or after an inspection to seek support immediately. Talking to your line manager/ employer may help, but you can also seek support from your NEU rep or health and safety rep. It is unlikely that you will be the only person whose mental health is suffering and a collective approach to management may be more productive.

If you are a school leader, remember the inspection team can pause the inspection if there are serious concerns about your wellbeing.

Apart from your GP, there are also a range of external organisations that provide support if you are experiencing poor mental health, including the Samaritans and Education Support. 

Further NEU resources, including our Mental Health Charter, are available at Mental health and wellbeing.

Reducing the impact of Ofsted

While our union fights for change at a national level, you can protect yourself and your colleagues from Ofsted's impact by using our Ofsted risk assessment guide  to help employers, in consultation with the recognised trade unions, assess the extent of harm that may be caused by the Ofsted process and take practical steps to minimise these risks. 

Tackling workload driven by Ofsted or by your school’s expectation of an Ofsted inspection

Ofsted inspections create vast amounts of unnecessary workload that does not support pupil learning or effective teaching. We know that Ofsted inspections (and the anxiety and pressure in the lead up to them) drive good teachers and school leaders out of the profession, and discourage new teachers from entering the classroom.

The NEU has dedicated resources to help you and your union group tackle unnecessary workload in school. Use our Reducing accountability workload in your workplace guide to fight back against the pressures placed upon schools by Ofsted, and our Ofsted risk assessment  to help employers, in consultation with the recognised trade unions, assess the extent of harm that may be caused by the Ofsted process and take practical steps to minimise these risks.

Being held accountable for your subject area 

It is important that you are provided with adequate time and remuneration to fulfil your curriculum and subject leadership responsibilities. Teachers taking on additional curriculum responsibilities should receive a teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payment. 

The school teachers’ pay and conditions document (STPCD) also specifies that reasonable non-contact time, in addition to planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time, should be allocated for management duties (para 52.6, STPCD). 

Additionally, your employer should support your request to have a colleague present when meeting with the Ofsted inspector. 

If you are not receiving a TLR payment or the necessary time and support to carry out your subject leadership responsibilities, you should not be held accountable for outcomes during an Ofsted inspection. 

Observation of teaching lessons 

Ofsted inspectors will undertake lesson visits as part of inspections, but lesson visits are not about evaluating individual teachers or their teaching, and your lesson will not be graded. Observations conducted during an Ofsted inspection should, therefore, not be used by your school for appraisal purposes. 

Inspectors will use the evidence gathered from lesson visit as part of their ‘learning walks’.  Lesson visits are used to provide important evidence for leadership and governance, in particular, as well as for other evaluation areas (See Ofsted’s School inspection operating guide). 

Inspectors will discuss with school leaders which lessons they will visit and may visit several lessons from the same curriculum area or subject, including from different year groups. The head teacher, subject leaders and/or other school leaders will be invited to take part in joint visits to lessons.  

How to make a complaint against Ofsted 

If a school has any concerns about an inspection, including about inspectors’ conduct or any potential or perceived conflicts of interest, they should be raised at the earliest opportunity with the lead inspector. Concerns can be raised at any point during the inspection, including (but not limited to):  

Any concerns must be taken seriously, and the act of raising the concern should not impact inspection findings or how a school is considered by Ofsted. If it is not possible to resolve concerns with the lead inspector, the school or responsible body should follow the steps set out in handling concerns and complaints.  

Abolish ofsted campaign

Ofsted risk assessment

Protect yourself and your colleagues by using our Ofsted risk assessment guide to collect and record evidence of damage and risk caused by the inspectorate.

Read our guide
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