Today, the core group of the Headteachers’ Roundtable agreed to
formally request all school-based employees to resign as Ofsted
Additional Inspectors, with immediate effect. They have called on
unions and other professional associations to recommend this
“quiet revolution” to members, and “to ensure no school-based
employees involve themselves in inspection.” This is with a view
to securing fundamental reform of Ofsted. (1)
In response, the Leadership Council of the National Education
Union has pledged its support of the #PauseOfsted campaign and is
advising NEU members not to work for Ofsted as additional
inspectors.
It is time to reform Ofsted, an inspectorate which:
• Drives good teachers and school leaders unfairly from the
profession;
• Exhausts teachers and leaders as they struggle to adapt to
constantly changing inspection frameworks (4 in 5 years);
• Destroys the reputation of schools in deprived areas, which are
doing the best work in the most difficult circumstances. These
are not ‘stuck’, they have been let down by inadequate funding
and support. Ofsted has consistently failed to call this out.
• Imposes inspection frameworks which are untried and untested on
schools, leading to poor inspection judgements;
• Makes schools the scapegoat for rising child poverty which is
the real enemy of learning and progress.
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary, National Education
Union, said:
“As the union with the second largest leadership membership, the
NEU supports Ethical Leadership. We call upon our members who are
additional inspectors to stop working for Ofsted.
“It is time to take back our pride and professionalism. It is
time for an independent inspectorate which is trustworthy and
trusted by teachers and leaders. It is time to radically reform
Ofsted.”
Editor’s Note
(1) Stephen Tierney, “Time to pause Ofsted – here’s how”, Schools
Week, 7 February 2020:
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/time-to-pause-ofsted-heres-how/
