Schools North East have heard from school leaders in recent weeks that Ofsted’s current approach is one of the many factors for school staff fearing fatigue and burnout.
Through its virtual networks, MPs roundtables and extensive school leader consultations, Schools North East is hearing a rising chorus of complaints from CEOs and Head Teachers across the region. There is a growing perception of a gap’ in the rhetoric of senior Ofsted figures versus what is actually happening in schools during inspections, especially in regard to the impact of the pandemic on individual schools and how they are responding to support their individual school communities. This ‘gap’ at the chalk-face of inspection is massively increasing the pressure on dedicated school leaders who are already exhausted from their efforts throughout the crisis; a crisis which many outside of schools do not appear to realise is still ongoing.
In particular, inspections now appear to have a relentless focus on the curriculum and its delivery, without taking into account the massive disruption that covid has caused and how school leaders have assessed they need to respond to support their school communities. Attendees at roundtables before and after the half-term break stated that Ofsted appear to be acting as if it is ‘business as usual’ and have called on them to remember that schools are still in the middle of a significant crisis, which may have evolved to another stage but is still far from over.
Colleagues from Primary Schools in particular have expressed deep concerns over the heavy emphasis on curriculum and the subsequent pressure this places on Middle Leaders, especially in small primaries where one person may lead on more than one subject. They are concerned that Ofsted’s expectations are more suited to secondary schools and that the expertise and staff capacity required for these expectations are not always available beyond the core subjects.
With regards to the effects of Covid, attendees at Roundtables stated that, as many members of staff have worked in isolation for such a long time, it feels as though Ofsted are not taking into consideration the many months of remote teaching, as well as the increased pressures and challenges of developing and delivering the curriculum effectively.
Concerns over staff workload and wellbeing have been significantly exacerbated due to the return of regular inspections, with many stating that Ofsted clearly expect the curriculum to be delivered and taught in specific ways, despite inspectors claiming that they are not telling schools how to teach. Through subject review papers and the research behind them, schools are also concerned that Ofsted is beginning to promote preferred styles of teaching. Furthermore, national education figures have also expressed concern over the return to inspection and the methodology underlying it.
Last month, Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, described Ofsted as imposing ‘a reign of terror’ and stated that ‘teaching in 2021 is all about compliance’. Speaking at the Times Education Commission, Dame Peacock said ‘I think the issue with Ofsted is that they pretty much have a script – a set of things they have to follow.’
These anxieties demonstrate a distinct lack of space for more fluid teaching, as teachers must naturally have the flexibility to change their lessons in accordance with their students’ needs, rather than stick to a script and face – as one Head Teacher called it – ‘unnecessary rigour’.
Head Teachers firmly believe that Ofsted must take greater consideration of the fact that both the staff and students they are inspecting are still feeling the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, such as family members dying from Covid, not to mention possible job losses within their families. The NE region in particular was hit far harder than many other regions and this needs to be taken account of in inspections.
It is also not particularly clear that Ofsted appreciates that some schools have had – and continue to have – much greater challenges than others. The North East, for instance, saw the highest rates of Covid-related disruption in schools in the 2021 summer term. Our region also had difficulties in accessing tutors as part of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), a key part of the Government’s education recovery plan. Additionally, children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs have struggled to access online learning.
It is not clear how Ofsted inspections on the current framework can effectively reflect the immense efforts schools in our region and across the country have put in to support students, both academically and in terms of their mental health and wellbeing.
Additionally, from the outside looking in, it appears that Ofsted is beginning to lose its stature with parents and families with school-aged children.
New data from a YouGov poll suggests that almost two-thirds of parents no longer take Ofsted reports into consideration when choosing a school for their children and take the schools’ current grading ‘with a pinch of salt’. Instead, parents tend to use visits to the school, local reputation and geography as the key factors, when making their decision.
This has led to calls for a pause and a re-focusing of the inspection agency, while others are asking what a post-covid Ofsted should look like, stating that focusing more on helping schools improve would be preferable to being simply inspected – inspections that embody unrealistic expectations during a turbulent time of catch-up. School leaders have consistently stated that as there is no clear end to the ‘catch-up’ period, Ofsted’s approach is not helpful when schools in the region continue to have significant staff and student absences and remaining staff members working at their full capacity.
To support schools in the region with these issues, Schools North East are hosting their annual Ofsted Update at The Durham Centre on Thursday 25th November. In attendance will be Belita Scott, Senior HMI of North East, Yorkshire and Humber, as well as several Head Teachers who have experienced recent inspections.
