Ofsted mental health strain laid bare as 70% of teachers suffer during probes
More than seven in ten teachers suffer anxiety and depression when their schools are inspected by Ofsted, research reveals.
The shock figures emerge as an inquest continues into the death of head teacher Ruth Perry. She took her own life in January after inspectors downgraded her primary from outstanding to inadequate. Now a survey by Education Support, a charity that offers teachers therapy, has shown nearly three quarters of those who took part blamed the pressures of an inspection for impacts on their mental health. One told us: “My school was rated inadequate last week – the tone of the inspection was hostile and we were treated appallingly. During the two days it took place staff were sick in toilets, cried and nearly passed out.
“Ofsted had an agenda and no evidence provided was going to change that.” Another said: “After the inspection of my school, I had a nervous breakdown and had to see a doctor. My teaching wasn’t criticised but I took the judgement ‘requires improvement’ of a school I loved personally.
Teachers at John Rankin Schools in Newbury (PA)“It impacted me so much I went on antidepressants and ended up part time as I knew I couldn’t carry on as I had before.” Ms Perry, 53, head at Caversham Primary in Reading was said by friends to have been “extremely distressed” only a few hours into the inspection in November last year.
Reading Coroner’s Court heard last week how the mum-of-two had told a counsellor days before her death she was “amazed” more teachers in school inspections didn’t take their own lives. Ms Perry said Ofsted was “the most inhumane system. It’s totally wrong one person is made to feel like this. I’m amazed that there are not more heads killing themselves.” After her death, John Rankin Primary in Newbury, Berks, banned inspectors from entering. Ms Perry’s school has since been rated outstanding.
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Sinead Mc Brearty, Chief Executive Officer at Education Support said: “Accountability is important for keeping standards high and children safe – but the present system is neither trusted by staff nor working effectively. Instead of doing what they love – focusing on teaching children and young people – they are dragged into bureaucratic tasks designed to create evidence for inspectors.”
Teachers at John Rankin School, Newbury (SWNS)The charity’s survey questioned more than 3,000 teaching staff who had undergone inspections. There are more than 567,000 teachers working in our schools.
Ofsted said: “We were deeply saddened by the death of Ruth Perry.”
But some inspectors accused Ofsted of misleading the inquest by claiming there was training to reduce teacher stress. One said: “It is nonsense that inspectors received training. That didn’t happen.”
The Government was approached for comment.
Schools can't be reduced to one-word judgments
Primary teacher Lee Parkinson wants Ofsted reformed to cut staff stress. Lee, 38, who works in Manchester, has a large following on social media where he posts about classroom mental health.
He said: “I love to teach and it should be the best job in the world – but the system we work under, because of Ofsted, has made the profession completely unsustainable. I speak to colleagues on a daily basis who are on the brink of collapse. One man sent me a message as he drove back from work after an inspection and said he wasn’t going to make it home. As well as being inspected on general teaching abilities, we are now expected to be experts in a particular subject area. The pressure that comes with that is exponential.”
Teacher Lee Parkinson is campaigning for Ofsted to abolish the single word scoring systemLee is also campaigning for Ofsted to abolish the single word scoring system in which schools are rated from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’. He added: “We can’t stop holding schools accountable, but it can be done in a more supportive, positive way that doesn’t impact mental health. Every school is different and you cannot reduce a complex machine like a school to a one-word judgment.
“I think it’s clear what happened to Ruth wasn’t the first time something like this has happened, and if things continue as they are, it will not be the last.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of the service that headteachers, teachers and other school staff provide. We have doubled our wellbeing support for teachers and are investing over £1.1 million to provide supervision and counselling to school and college leaders and nearly 1,000 have benefitted so far, and this will be expanded beyond March 2024.”
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Teachers and education staff affected by any of the issues raised in this story can speak to Education Support, the UK’s only charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of everyone working in education. Their helpline is free, confidential, open 24/7 and offers immediate crisis support with a qualified counsellor: 08000 562 561. If you are in immediate danger or feel like you cannot keep yourself safe, please call 999 or attend A&E immediately.
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