Schools 'must ditch Ofsted banners as watchdog does more harm than good'

27 April 2023 , 23:01

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A photograph of Ruth Perry attached to a fence outside a school in Berkshire (Image: PA)

Schools should strip Ofsted banners and logos from their buildings as the watchdog is “doing more harm than good”, a top union leader will say.

NAHT president elect Simon Kidwell will warn today that the current school inspection regime “isn’t fit for purpose” and urge heads to put Ofsted “back in its box”.

Relations between schools and the education watchdog have dramatically deteriorated since the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself in January while waiting for an Ofsted report that downgraded her school to inadequate.

The death of the Caversham Primary School head triggered an outpouring of grief and anger - with her family blaming the "deeply harmful" pressure of the Ofsted inspection for her distress.

Mr Kidwell, who is principal of Hartford Manor Primary School and Nursery in Cheshire, will tell the NAHT’s annual conference today that a recent inspection at his school "almost broke two valuable and brilliant members of staff".

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Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman insisted she had no reason to doubt the inspection of a school where the headteacher took her own life (PA)

He will say: "My own physical health has been impacted by the job - 16 months ago I was rushed into hospital and for three days was signed off work because of physical complications that doctors thought was directly caused by the stresses and pressures of work.

"Ruth [Perry]'s death has sadly made me question if I have enough in the tank to lead my school through another Ofsted cycle."

Mr Kidwell will add: "When we return to school on Tuesday, let's take some collective actions to put Ofsted back in its box.

"Let's remove any Ofsted banners from our railings, erase Ofsted logos from our school stationary, delete Ofsted quotes from our websites, and when Ofsted reports are published tell our communities that Ofsted is a snapshot of school performance judged against a framework that urgently needs a serious reform."

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Some schools began removing logos and references to Ofsted ratings from their websites as a mark of solidarity last month.

Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman said at the weekend that she has no "reason to doubt" the inspection of Ms Perry's school.

In an interview with the BBC, she acknowledged that a culture of fear exists around inspections but said the majority of schools have a "positive and affirming experience".

It comes as the headteachers' union announced they will hold a new ballot over strike action. It failed to meet strict turnout rules when it balloted its members in January.

All the major teaching unions have rejected the Government's offer of a 4.3% pay hike for most teachers and a £1,000 one-off payment to staff in September.

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The ASCL and NASUWT unions have both announced further strike ballots.

Tens of thousands of National Education Union (NEU) members took part in a national strike yesterday, with further walkouts planned on Tuesday.

The union said it believed the majority of schools are expected to be fully or partially closed during the strikes.

Lizzy Buchan