Over Half of English Headteachers Consider Leaving Early After New Ofsted Inspections

A primary headteacher who has led schools for 15 years, across three different buildings, told a union survey that she or he has never felt less able to do the job than during a recent Ofsted inspection. The headteacher added that their physical or mental health might not cope with another inspection under the new framework.

That testimony sits inside a set of figures published by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). The union polled school leaders in England after their schools had been inspected under Ofsted's new regime. Asked whether the inspection had changed how long they intended to stay in post, 52% of respondents said they were thinking of leaving sooner than planned.

The other numbers point the same way. Some 64% said the new inspections were much more intense than those under the previous framework. And 86% said they struggled with their mental health and wellbeing while inspectors were on site. The survey drew 242 responses between June and October, a modest sample, and it reflects those who chose to answer rather than all heads in England.

The regime being judged is a product of the death of Ruth Perry, a primary school headteacher who took her own life in January 2023. Her death prompted a radical overhaul of how schools are inspected. The new framework was introduced a year ago with the aim of easing the strain and workload that inspections impose. Many school leaders now say it has made matters worse.

The comments gathered by the union give that view a human shape. A deputy head at an all-through school, with more than 20 years in the profession, said they had once hoped for headship but would now never pursue it, calling this the most challenging Ofsted they had ever completed. A primary school chief executive said they were tired of the high stakes and the worry, describing it as being on a different level. A head at a secondary special school said they would not do another inspection and would leave before the next one, explaining that they did not see their children for months in the run-up to the inspection window.

Paul Whiteman, the NAHT's general secretary, said the findings showed the unmitigated failure of an unaccountable and out-of-control inspectorate, and argued that Ofsted's actions were driving experienced leaders out of schools. Education secretary Lucy Powell has indicated she is looking at further changes to Ofsted. Whiteman dismissed that prospect in advance: another belated rearranging of the deckchairs which sidelines the profession, he said, would be wholly insufficient.

The survey follows a move by teaching unions to declare no confidence in the schools watchdog. They have threatened strike ballots unless the serious wellbeing problems linked to the new framework are fixed.

An Ofsted spokesperson said many leaders had found inspections helpful and constructive over the past year, while acknowledging that others had flagged the effect on workload and wellbeing. The body said it is working with the secretary of state on ways to reduce pressure on heads and teachers without losing focus on the best interests of children and families. A Department for Education spokesperson said teachers do extraordinary work and that inspections should support improvement without adding to existing pressures, and said the department is working with Ofsted and school leaders to make accountability collaborative, fair and proportionate.

What to watch now is whether the changes Powell is considering involve the profession in their design, which is the point Whiteman has pressed, and whether the unions follow their threats with ballots.