Commenting on the close of the Ofsted consultation, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The case for fundamental reform to our accountability system has never been clearer. We have a system that is too high stakes, too punitive and too burdensome - and it is driving too many leaders, teachers and support staff from the profession.
“The proposals on the table from Ofsted and the DfE do little to address these deep problems and risk making the working conditions of teachers, leaders and support staff worse, not better.
“Of particular concern are the proposed reforms to school inspection. The colour coded 5-point scale retains the reductive, cliff-edge judgements that have been shown to be so harmful for our members’ mental health and wellbeing and drive a range of negative consequences. This grading approach, combined with a new complex, framework, covering up to 11 evaluation areas, risks making inspections even less reliable than they currently are.
“It is why today, the NEU, alongside school leaders, national organisations, ex-school inspectors, trade unions and Professor Julia Waters are calling on the Secretary of State to delay the reforms to school inspection. It is essential that time is taken to listen to the concerns of the profession and get change right.”