Ofsted causes more harm than good, and we need urgent and fundamental reform.
We stand with our colleagues across the education sector, and alongside mental health and suicide prevention campaigners and experts, to call on the Secretary of State to delay Ofsted’s proposals and work with the profession to create a new system – one that is supportive, effective and fair.
Ofsted has failed to learn the lessons of Ruth Perry’s death. Its new framework continues to pose a risk to the health and wellbeing of teachers and school leaders and does not address the deep harms that inspection causes to our education system.
These ‘reforms’ risk making inspections less reliable and will worsen inspection driven pressures and workloads for school staff.
Despite numerous calls from across the sector, there are still no plans to create an independent complaints and appeals process which means there are limited options for school leaders to address an inspection process that they believe has been carried out unfairly or inappropriately.
Bridget Phillipson needs to intervene urgently and work with the profession, before it is too late to change course.
A coalition of organisations and individuals deeply concerned about Ofsted’s proposals for a new inspection system calls for a delay to rushed Ofsted reforms. Read the open letter published 9 September, to the Secretary of State
Advice on mitigating the impact of school inspections in England
Whilst our union fights for change on a national level, you can protect yourself and your colleagues from Ofsted's impact by using our Ofsted risk assessment guide to collect and record evidence of damage and risk caused by the inspectorate and its consequences.
This example shows how to use the assessment most effectively in your workplace. The health and well-being of members must be prioritised and protected before, during, and after an inspection.
The Ofsted ‘reforms’ risk making inspections less reliable and will worsen inspection driven pressures and workloads for school staff.
In the meantime leaders and activists can take action to alleviate the impact.
The NEU called for an immediate pause in Ofsted inspections in response to the coroner’s verdict and conclusions in the Ruth Perry inquest.
For more than 30 years, Ofsted’s toxic regime has been driving school leaders and teachers out of the profession and fuelling a mental health crisis among school staff. Read our statement on Ofsted.
The National Education Union is proud to have been part of the Beyond Ofsted Inquiry – an independent inquiry made up of members of the NEU, industry experts, parents and academics and chaired by former schools minister Lord Jim Knight. It sought to establish an alternative to Ofsted that is supportive, effective and fair.
The Beyond Ofsted Inquiry’s final report was published in November 2023 and calls for radical and transformational change to the inspectorate. Read the inquiry's recommendation.
Students Hamza Shahbaz and Gabriel Perez detail their experiences of campaigning for much needed change in the education system, specifically around the outdated Ofsted inspectorate.
Martina Porter, Managing Director of an Independent Training Provider, questions the independence of Ofsted’s convoluted complaints procedure.
An NEU member describes the impact Ofsted’s framework has on subject leaders working in primary schools.
Education journalist Warwick Mansell explores Ofsted’s deliberate avoidance of investigating school staff concerns.
Michael Farrelly, senior leader in a Special primary school, explains how Ofsted is a driving factor in the teaching recruitment crisis.
Education journalist Warwick Mansell questions Ofsted's claim of impartiality regarding recruitment to its controversial "curriculum unit"
